Gummybears
by hearts mechanic
Summary: Seifer Almasy had never payed much attention to the Little Messenger Girl, but when a short fight lands him working with her, he learns there's much more to her than meets the eye. Once he's willing to fight to his death for her, he just might have to...
1. Help Wanted

**Gummybears**  
By: Southwest Eggroll 

_Chapter One: Help Wanted_

~©~ 

JORDAN MCCADEN WAS A HARD worker. His father had taught him since he was old enough to understand that hard work always paid off. And so he was a hard worker, always eager to please. That's what Selphie had liked about him. 

But he was standing before her, giving her the most terrible news a person like Selphie could ever hate to hear. 

"I know it's a bad time, but my father got a transfer to work in a stone mine near Timber," said Jordan, nervously twisting something in his hands. "I'm leaving in three days. I tried to see if I could fly later, but he refuses. I'm sorry, Selphie!" 

Forcing a smile onto her face, Selphie replied, "Well _gummybears_! Hmm...It's a big bummer, but don't worry about it. I'm sure I can find some more help somewhere. The Garden Festival is still a long ways off anyway!" Selphie smiled again, this time it was genuine. Her words obviously made him feel better, and that made her more comfortable. Things would be okay, because the Garden Festival was still three months off, and she hadn't really been _looking_ for extra help. 

Sure, Selphie had asked every person at the SeeD ball, which took place a few days ago, to join the committee, and the Quad bulletin board was plastered with ads for help. But no, she hadn't really been _looking_. Between herself and Jordan, things for the Garden Festival had been coming along nicely. Jordan left, parting with a shy smile and an awkward wave. Selphie sat at the desk in her dorm, tapping her pencil and thinking. 

She needed to recruit some help, and soon. There were three months left, but three months could pass by quickly, if she wasn't careful. Last year, Garden Festival had almost been canceled, but Jordan came along and they both came up with something. The year before that, Irvine had come to the rescue, and had gotten the Fisherman's Horizon mechanics to rebuild the stage. Both of her Garden Festivals had been mediocre. She wanted this one to come out with a real _bang_. 

~©~ 

SEIFER ALMASY WALKED INTO BALAMB Garden, ignoring the whispers that went up in a rush around him. A few SeeDs glared at him, other students pointed and made rude noises, and one kid even shouted, "Traitor!" He smirked to himself. In his head, he was _daring_ one of them to make a move against him. Seifer ran a hand through his blonde locks, not bothering with the strand of hair that was forever in his face. Garden was cold, and he was suddenly very aware of his surroundings in a strange way. 

The halls were brightly lit, almost blinding. The floors looked like they hadn't been swept in a while, and an angry Staff member was scrubbing orange graffiti off a wall. He grinned at it, recognizing Raijin's artful touch. It was a crude stick picture of a person in a robe, with a cock in its mouth. The writing next to it said _Garden Staff sucks donkey nuts for quarters!!!_ He was wondering where his was posse was, anyway, when a robed Staff member scuttled up to him. 

"Seifer Almasy? Headmaster Cid wishes to see you in his office," he said quickly. 

"Does he now? Well, I would hate to disappoint," Seifer replied sardonically, and he made his way up the stairs. 

The elevator smelled like cleaner, and Seifer spotted a faint blue spot on the wall. More graffiti. Seifer laughed. It seemed like Garden had taken a turn for the worse when the Disciplinary Committee bailed out. He wondered how Cid found out about his arrival so quickly. They were probably expecting him. He stepped out on the third floor, bumped into Xu, who was carrying a bunch of manila folders. 

She glared razor sharp icicles at him. Seifer almost flinched- there was disdain in her eyes, and Xu avoided his touch like he was some kind of poisonous filth. Seifer nodded his head to her. "Xu." 

"_Almasy_," Xu replied, her voice dripping with hate. She put her finger to the 'Close Door' button the minute she could, shutting Seifer out of view and into the third floor. Seifer put his chin in the air and walked to the oak double doors. He rapped three times, and the doors opened. 

~©~ 

CID'S OFFICE HAD NOT CHANGED much, except for the fact that the bridge was smack in the middle of it. His big, ornate desk was off to the side now, with a chair in front of it. It smelled like wet towels, Seifer noticed, and was immaculate for the most part. He walked to Cid's desk and stopped, eyeing the man carefully. 

"Take a seat, Mr. Almasy," the Headmaster said calmly, not even looking up. Seifer was amused by Cid's determination to remain calm, to treat Seifer as though he were just another one of his meaningless appointments. Seifer almost laughed, but sat down quietly. 

"'Lo, Headmaster," Seifer said, leaning forward and putting his elbows on his knees. 

"Seifer, I won't beat around the bush. What are you doing here?" 

The younger man smiled, running a hand through his blonde hair lazily. "I want to come back." 

Cid laughed aloud. Seifer's smirk faded. Since he had entered the office, Cid had not looked up at him once, instead he shuffled through papers and stacked them. Now, though, he was looking right into Seifer's eyes, amusement twinkling in his own. "Excuse me?" 

"I said, I want to return to Garden. As a student. A SeeD," Seifer said, swallowing his pride. He had intended to stroll back into Garden, resume classes and do so without any complications. But Cid had laughed at the proposition, making it clear that it could not be done without some kind of fuss. 

Confirming that he had heard correctly, Cid leaned back and seriously considered the thought. He needed more students like Seifer, with a natural talent. An idea began to hatch in his head, one that the Garden Staff would not like. He looked Seifer up and down. He looked serious, for the most part sincere. Cid was sure he had done his fair share of thinking over the Sorceress Conflict, and was sorry for it. 

"Why should I readmit you?" Cid asked bluntly. "I have no reason. All your presence would do is upset the student body. And I don't think many Instructors would fight over the chance at having you in their classes." 

Seifer glared. "I don't think so either. But I want to become a SeeD. Life gets boring. SeeD can offer me something, and I have something to offer SeeD," he replied cockily. 

"Oh really? Then tell me, what do you have to offer SeeD?" 

"I'm the most powerful gunblade specialist anywhere." 

"Forgive me, Seifer, but I think I certain young man by the name of Squall Leonhart would beg to differ," the Headmaster said, putting his elbows on his desk and grinning for emphasis. 

_Leonhart..._Seifer's deep green eyes flashed, he leaned back. "He beat me out once, sir. The other times, he had his goons to help him out. One on one, he's not a match for me." 

Cid nodded. What he said was partially true. Squall had only beaten him once on his own. Every other time he had the help of two others. Cid was sure that if Seifer wasn't _more_ powerful than Squall, like he had said, that he was _equally_ powerful. Having a soldier like him on SeeD would bring in more money. And, Cid noted, he had also referred to him as 'sir', a sign of respect. He thought, if he had a correct impression of the new Seifer Almasy, that his plan would work. 

"Okay. I'll allow you to return to Garden. You can have your own dorm and I'll put you in Miss Trepe's classes-" 

"Quistis?" Seifer interjected, surprised. 

The Headmaster nodded. "We re-instated her license after the Sorceress Conflict. I think she deserved it. Wouldn't you agree?" 

He nodded, somewhat absent mindedly, and leaned back in his chair, obviously content. He had gotten what he had come for- a second chance at SeeD, at life. 

~©~ 

THE ELEVATOR, WHICH SMELLED A lot like Clorox, dinged and the doors opened. Selphie stepped out onto the third floor. She bounced to the doors and knocked a few times. She heard a couple of voices, and the doors opened, revealing a beautiful set of emerald green eyes. _Seifer_. She identified him immediately, and did not try to hide the frown that appeared on her face. It was kind of an unsaid vow of Selphie's to be nice to everyone, but she was having trouble finding kind words to say to _him_. 

"Well if it isn't the little Messenger Girl," Seifer said, opening the doors more widely and grinning at her. 

"Well if it isn't the little Lapdog," Selphie replied, sticking her tongue out at him. 

For the briefest instant, Selphie thought she saw his smirk waiver. He held out his arm, gesturing for her to enter the office. She passed by him, her gaze not leaving his, until Headmaster Cid called her. 

"Selphie? What is it?" Headmaster Cid asked, waving her over with a smile. 

"It's about the Garden Festival. I just lost my last bit of help, and I was hoping you could make an announcement over the loudspeaker for help," Selphie chirped. "Can I also have permission to post some ads around the halls?" 

Cid nodded. "Of course, of course...Selphie, I don't know how to say this...Maybe you should consider canceling this year?" 

Selphie looked scandalized at the mere thought. She shook her head violently. "No, no, no! I can handle it! I was just hoping to get a little extra help on the side, is all. No need to cancel, no, no..." 

"Are you sure? It's not a problem..." 

"Oh, I'm sure," Selphie said. "I need to start printing out flyers, so I'll give you an update on the progress later, sir." 

Cid watched the spunky brunette skip out of his room and out the doors. Another idea was forming in his head... 

~©~ 

**Please review! This is my first fic I've posted on FF.Net, and I'm excrutiatingly nervous about releasing it. Some input would make me feel a lot better... **


	2. Boys Will Be Boys

**Gummybears**  
By: Southwest Eggroll 

_Chapter Two: Boys Will Be Boys_

~©~ 

Push me away, make me fall, 

Just to see another side of me. 

Push me away, you can see, 

What I see, the other side of me. 

--- 'Downfall' TRUSTcompany 

~©~ 

THE NEXT WEEK OR SO went as Seifer had expected. Nearly every student in Garden was with seething with hate for him, and a few let him know it. _Traitor_ had been written on the door of his dorm in a bright pink color. When he saw it, he grinned and looked around. A group of students passed by him. They all had smug grins on their faces. Seifer wondered, would they would grin if he took the time to show them how deadly a recent upgrade made Hyperion? He knew he could never find out, as much as the thought pleased him. 

After his discussion with Cid, before his run in with Selphie, Cid had curtly reminded Seifer that any miscondunt would be punished more harshly than with normal students. In other words, he would be thrown out the moment he screwed up. The smallest infraction would land him outside the front gates of Balamb Garden on his ass. And he would not be able to return, he knew that much. Seifer glanced around...maybe if no one was looking, he could just- 

**No.**

He unlocked his door, pushed it open and walked inside his dorm. He collapsed onto his bed. Seifer hadn't worked since _then_, hadn't done anything useful with his life. There was a point when he became just another homeless guy, when he was at the lowest Seifer Almasy could get. You learn humility on the streets, and Seifer learned it well. He made the decision to turn his life around. To become something greater than himself. To do that, he would need to return to Balamb Garden. So he swallowed his pride and did it. Now he was back, and it seemed he had forgotten how busy student life was. 

Quistis had welcomed him back to her class without so much as a raised eyebrow. He was just another student to her, and he was eternally thankful for that. When he was in his SeeD uniform at the induction party next year, he would make sure to thank her. 

~©~ 

LUNCH WITH ZELL, RINOA AND Quistis was a kind of tradition for Selphie. Since the Sorceress War ended, they had made a point to eat together. Squall had been involved the first few weeks, but his job as Commander gradually became more demanding, and he ended up eating in his office, alone or, occasionally, with Rinoa. The four were sitting around a huge plate of hotdogs. 

Quistis was picking at a salad, but Rinoa and Selphie("We like _real_ food...") were chowing down on hotdogs, right along with Zell. Of course, he inhaled them at a speed that would impress anyone, whereas both girls favored _chewing_ their food. Selphie stopped a hotdog halfway to her mouth, in order to observe Zell's eating habits. It was purely disgusting. She followed a large lump down his throat. 

"What?" Zell asked, his mouth full. 

Selphie set down her hotdog on a plate and pushed it toward him. "You know what? You can have mine. I'm not so hungry." 

"'Sa'matter?" he asked, taking the hotdog anyway. 

The spunky brunette shook her head. "You eat like a pig, is all!" 

He ignored her, and ate the hotdog she had given him with relish. Rinoa giggled beside him and elbowed him lightly in the ribs. Apparently a little harder than she had expected to, because the muscles in Zell's jaw stopped moving quite suddenly. His face got red, and he was trying to say something. His mouth was so full, though, no one could make anything out. 

"Zell?" Quistis said, alarmed. "Are you okay?" 

"Holy gummybears!" Selphie exclaimed. "He's choking! Somebody help! He's _choking!_" 

Quistis panicked. "Does anyone know the Heimlich?" 

Rinoa and Selphie stared dumbly at her, shaking their heads. Zell's face was beginning to turn an odd color, and he was groping at his throat. Just then, though, Seifer walked by. He looked down at Zell. Almost lazily, he smacked Zell on the back with a resounding _thwack_. A chunk of something launched out of Zell's mouth and landed a few yards away. Selphie giggled. 

"Right on! Nice distance," she said. "I give it a 10!" 

Rinoa was rubbing him on the back, furiously asking him if he was okay. Sucking in deep breaths of air, Zell spun around to see who had pretty much saved his life. Seifer was standing there, reguarding Zell with a raised eyebrow. 

"Uh...tch, thanks, man," Zell said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. The area around them had grown quiet. Half the people in the Cafeteria expected to see Seifer retort with some kind of insult. 

_And I would hate to disappoint my audience..._"Any time, Chickenwuss," Seifer said, tilting his head back a little. 

Almost like the world was on fast forward, Selphie saw the fight that would inevitably take place, the bruises that would be on Zell's face the next morning, the gunblade wound he would have somewhere on his hands or arm and Seifer walking out of Garden slowly, his chin in the air with a few bruises to call his own. She had to do something, if not for Seifer, then for Zell. 

"Gee whiz, Zell, that thing covered half the Cafeteria," Selphie said, stepping between the two guys. She pointed. The defensive position Zell had fallen into loosened up, and he looked at the chewed up lump she pointing at. "Who taught _you_ how to eat?" 

"Yeah, well, if Rinoa hadn't stabbed me with her elbow..." 

Rinoa giggled. "Wimp," she snorted playfully. 

~©~ 

SEIFER WAS AT SOMEWHAT OF a loss. His tactics had never failed to upset Zell, to provoke some kind of action from him. He was looking forward to unraveling the little runt, like he had always done in the past. But Selphie, the tiny brunette he had never much paid attention to, stepped between them and stopped the whole thing. She must've sensed what would happen. He smirked at the back of her head, and walked out of the cafeteria, silently and unnoticed. 

~©~ 

QUISTIS HAD ALWAYS BEEN A great Instructor, but Seifer found his attention wandering through out the whole period. His days as a Sorceress Knight had taught him a lot, and her class was nothing but review for him, no matter how advanced it was for the others in her class. He spent most of the time messing around the message boards on his study panel. He was causing quite a bit of an uproar, Seifer noted happily. He smirked down at the latest forum that a student had created. 

I can't believe they let Seifer back in. Did they forget what he *did*?  
-- JACK@$$ 

I don't see how. There must be something wrong with the Headmaster. Maybe Seifer threatened him? I wouldn't put it past him. He's about as low as low goes. If I were Cid, I would have chucked him out of Balamb Garden the moment he set his dirty foot on the grounds.  
-- K.P 

Seifer's got access to the message boards. You two should watch out. He's dangerous.  
-- NICEguysFINISHfirst 

Seifer supressed a laugh. He typed up this: 

** No kidding. I heard he drilled holes into some guy's heels because he smudged his boots. That's not all, man...  
-- Strangely_Psychotic **

He posted it and anxiously waited for a reply. The fact that half the students at Balamb feared him greatly amused him. Not one would have the gall to do anything about it. And those who did... 

Quistis was flipping through a slideshow on GFs. Her room was the largest of all the Instructors at Balamb, because so many students requested her class. Seifer knew from experience- she did her job and did it _well_. He leaned back and took a look at the next slide. It was a picture of the infamous Gilgamesh. Seifer smirked at it. He had once junctioned Gilgamesh. That was a subject he needed to discuss with Quistis...He wanted Gilgamesh back, and if not Gilgamesh, then any GF, because he didn't have one. Without his gunblade, he was defenseless. 

A reply to his post showed up, and Seifer clicked the forum. 

** Seifer is *not* like that. *I'm* not afraid of him, and neither should you be!  
-- Eternal_Sugar_High-per **

Now _that_ surprised Seifer. He studied the screen name and clicked on it for a profile. A picture of Selphie with her arms in the air and mouth formed into a great big smile loaded on the screen, and beneath it was a short biography and list of likes and dislikes. 'Sir Laguna' was first on the likes list, followed by 'Gummybears.' 'Evil Sorceresses' was first on the dislikes. This time he did laugh, and heads turned his way. Quistis gave him a scolding look. Seifer smirked back at her, closing down the message board window as inconspicuously as he could. 

_So the little Messenger Girl isn't afraid of me?_ It was highly amusing, and he decided to bring it up with her later. 

~©~ 

SELPHIE WAS STUCK IN A class she hated. It was on junctioning GFs, and Instructor Homan was terrible. He talked about GFs like they were stupid, inferior beings. She had to disagree, and she told him so many times. _Without the GFs, we'd all be powerless. If they're _so_ dumb like this idiot Instructor says, how come we're so dependent on them?_ she mused one day. He was sitting behind his desk, laughing at joke that Selphie didn't find funny. Instead of listening to him, she focused her mind on the stupid posters in his classroom and made fun of each one. They said _really_ stupid things, like _Don't let them control you!_ and _Show your GFs who's boss!_

The bell rang, and Selphie was out of there faster than anyone else. Her free period was up next, so she decided on visiting the Quad and starting work. She had an essay she needed to catch up on, but it could wait until later that night. She bounded off to the quad, singing a song she had heard on the radio the day before. 

"My friend the communist! Holds meetings in his office! I can't afford his gas! So I'm stucking here watching TV!" she sang, ignoring the strange looks she was getting. "Take a picture!" she said to one student who stopped and gawked at her. "You can sell it when I make it big!" 

~©~ 

FROM THE MOMENT HE HEARD her voice down the hall, he was hooked. He hadn't ever seen her before, didn't know her name, but he was already in love with her. She was singing a popular song, skipping/prancing/running down the hallway to the Quad. He stopped and stared at her. She flashed him a big grin. "Take a picture! You can sell it when I make it big!" she said. 

He was quite suddenly in love, and deep in it. 

~©~ 

SELPHIE WALKED INTO THE QUAD, wondering why the lights were off. She flipped them on as she let her messenger bag slide down. Her eyes went big as she took in the scene before her. 

Seifer was leaning into a tall blonde woman who was sitting on the table. They were making out. And, Selphie noted, they were doing it in a very disgusting fashion, _right on top of the banner she and Jordan had worked so hard on!_ She stomped her foot. The couple didn't notice. It was sick. Their hearing was probably drowned out by the gross sound of their spit smacking together. Selphie stared at them in disbelief. Didn't they even notice the lights? She looked away as the blonde stuck her hands down Seifer's pants, and Seifer grabbed her bottom. 

"Uh! Hello? Excuse me? Selphie to porn freaks! Hello over there? DO YOU GUYS BREATH?" she shouted. 

Finally, Seifer broke away from his woman and turned to her. He rolled his eyes at her. "Hey Messenger Girl- _butt out._" 

The blonde giggled and gave Selphie a too smug look. 

"Uh, Lapdog? That's my poster you're porn slapping each other on." 

Seifer grinned at her. "This isn't porn slapping. Though if that's what you're interested in, I'd be happy to-" 

"Look! Get off my poster and out of the Quad, before I-" 

"Before you _what?_" Seifer unwrapped his arms from around the girl and sauntered to Selphie. He towered over her, smirked down at Selphie. 

She kicked him. _Hard._ And with that, she left the Quad, practically oozing anger and frustration. 

~©~ 

SHE RETURNED A FEW MINUTES later, with Zell at her side. He was pumped up, ready for an excuse to smash Seifer's face in. 

"In there," Selphie said, pointing to the Quad. "But, uh, they were pretty much sucking each other's tongues off. It might have gotten a little deeper." 

"Man, the nerve of that guy," Zell muttered as he walked into the Quad. Sure enough, the blonde was on the table, and Seifer was slowly unzipping her jeans, placing a kiss at the newly uncovered skin. 

"Yo Almasy!" Zell shouted, his chest swelling. "Ya wanna clean up and get outta here?" 

Seifer froze. He turned around and glared at Zell. Then he started laughing. The blonde looked pissed off, and she zipped her jeans back up. 

"Look Seifer, I'm sorry. I have a class in a few minutes," she said. She waved goodbye and walked out. Seifer let his head fall, where his chin was touching his chest. Then he slowly approached Zell. 

"I see, I see," Seifer said. He lowered his voice so Selphie could not hear. "I get it- it's good ol' Zell to the rescue, huh? Trying to impress Selphie, or what?" 

"Nah, it's nothin' like that," Zell said, crossing his arms over his chest. "But she _asked_ you to leave-" 

"And I didn't. So whatcha' gonna do about it- _Chickenwuss?_" 

Zell clenched his fists. "Don't call me that-" 

"In front of Selphie? Ha ha...She must have somethin' hiding under that jumper, then..." 

Seifer looked over at Selphie. He smirked. She was standing, quite obviously pissed off, with her fists clenched beside her and her chin up defiantly. She was kind of cute, and she had nice legs. He imagined her in something a bit skimpier. 

"Look man-" 

"Now that I think about it, the Messenger Girl would make a nice peice of ass-" 

Zell decked Seifer. His fist met Seifer's jaw with a loud _thwack!_ that seemed to echo through the Quad. The blow sent Seifer doubling back, and he would've fallen on the floor had a table not been behind him. He gave Zell a look so cold, Selphie thought Zell might just turn to solid ice right then and there. 

"Her _name_ is Selphie," he said, his voice low but firm. Selphie heard the tone in Zell's voice, recognized it, and she immediately ran out of the Quad. She knew the guys were going to fight, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stop them on her own. 

Seifer smirked. "Or _what?_ Ya gonna hit me again?" 

"If I have to, Almasy." 

"Then do it. Come on, free shot." 

The shorter boy dropped his arms. "Tch, fuck _you_," Zell snarled. He turned and walked out. 

~©~ 

"MAN SELPHIE, WHY'D YOU HAVE to go tell the Headmaster?" Zell asked in a cranky tone. He was ticked off. When Selphie had left the Quad, she ran to get the Headmaster. She figured it was the only thing that would stop Seifer and Zell once they got started. She knew that Seifer would most likely be chucked out the moment he stepped out of line. And she knew he probably didn't want that. But since it was Zell who hit Seifer, Zell had also been punished. He was stuck cleaning out the men's shower for a week. When Zell left the office, Cid and Seifer were still discussing Seifer's punishment. 

"Do you know how dirty that shower gets?" Zell asked, putting a heavily topped hotdog in his mouth and dropping a little bit of relish down his shirt. They were in the Cafeteria, eating dinner. He reached for a napkin. 

Selphie looked at the relish-stain on Zell's shirt. "No, Zell. No idea...Where's Rinnie?" 

Quistis giggled. "She's having dinner with Squall. She wants it to be _romantic._" 

"I thought they were having...uh...you know..._problems,_" Zell said, as if he were relaying some secret that held the world in balance. 

"They are. That's why Rinoa wants this dinner to go so perfectly. She's hoping to talk it out with Squall." 

"Talk? With Squall?" Selphie quizzed, looking confused. 

Everyone laughed. 

A deep voice came over the PA system. " 'Will Selphie Tilmitt please report to the goddamn--' '_Seifer!'_ 'Sorry sir, will Selphie Tilmitt please report to the Headmaster's Office? Selphie Tilmitt to the...Headmaster's Office, _please_.' " 

Selphie laughed. "Um- is it just me or- was that- that was Seifer, wasn't it?" 

Quistis nodded slowly, staring up at the intercom. "He didn't sound too happy though..." 

~©~ 

SELPHIE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR a few times, before it opened. Seifer was standing behind it, and he greeted her with a glare that could make flowers wilt. She stuck her tongue out at him. 

"Lapdog," she muttered. 

"Brat," he replied under his breath. 

"Selphie!" Headmaster Cid called, looking happy. He waved the two of them over to his desk. "I've got good news for you!" 

"Really? Anything to do with the Garden Festival?" Selphie replied anxiously. She clasped her hands in front of her and waited. 

"Yes, actually. In light of....recent events...Seifer has decided to _volunteer_ his spare time and work with you on the Garden Festival." 

If Cid had told her that Sorceress Ultimecia had returned to apologize to everyone, Selphie probably would have been less surprised. She looked at Seifer. The muscles in his jaw were working, and he looked absolutely ticked off. She smiled a great big smile at him. "Really?!" 

Cid gave a meaningful look at Seifer, and Selphie caught it. He nodded and in a rather clipped tone, said, "Yeah. I thought I could..._help out._" 

At that moment, Selphie _really_ wanted to laugh. She would've if the Headmaster hadn't been sitting right there. Instead, she hopped up and down. 

"That's terrific! When can you start?" 

"Whenever you need me to." Same clipped tone. 

"Woohoo! Okay then, 7am SHARP, tomorrow morning!" 

~©~ 

** This chapter is dedicated to IsidraC, who was the first person to review this story. I spent like half an hour refreshing the reviews page, half expecting to see a flame. And then Is's review showed up, and I almost started crying...Thanks a lot, girl! Oooh and thanks to everyone else who reviewed! I got seven, and my goal was three ^_~* **

Sorry for the long time no update, but I was stuck with my dad all weekend, and I don't think he can tell the difference between a computer and a TV, so I was kind of without means to post. I managed to write up to chapter five, though! 


	3. Work Sucks

**Gummybears**  
By: Southwest Eggroll 

_Chapter Three: Work Sucks_

~©~ 

__

It's just one of those days, 

When you don't wanna wake up. 

Everything is fucked, 

Everybody sucks. 

--- 'Break Stuff' _Limp Bizkit_

~©~ 

SEIFER'S ALARM CLOCK WENT OFF at 6:30am, and for a moment he thought it was a mistake. Then he remembered that he had work to do on the Garden Festival, with Selphie at "7am SHARP!" He groaned loudly, and rolled out of bed groggily. It wasn't going to be a great day, he guessed as he set to brushing his teeth. Seifer ran a comb through his hair ad pulled on a pair of jeans, white T-shirt and his trademark trench coat. He left his dorm at exactly seven o' clock, and decided to take his time, just to get the Messenger Girl riled up. It would amuse him. 

Seifer walked into the Quad and waited. He was late, he was always going to be late, he decided, but there was no one in the Quad anyway. He sat on the edge of a table, feeling slick as he did it. His weight proved to be too much for the table, and it tipped to his side. He slid off, almost falling on his ass. 

"_Smooooth_," said a chipper voice coming from behind him. Selphie was carrying a long, rolled up peice of paper. "Okie-dokies. Today, we're gonna start on the big banner that we're gonna hang over the stage. Jordan and I traced everything, so all you have to do is paint! After that we have to start organizing the band. I don't know of any bands yet- whatta 'bout you? Know anyone that would be willing to perform for free?" 

He looked at her dumbly. It was way too early for questions, and she was talking faster than the speed of light...It took about ten seconds for what she said to process, and even then it took him some time to come up with an answer. 

"Hello...?" Selphie said, waiving to him. "Selphie to Seifer! Are ya there?" 

Shaking his head, Seifer replied, "No, ah- I mean, I don't know anybody that could perform." 

"Dern! I guess we need to start posting some ads around the halls. I'll design one today, and we can go stick them up on the walls together! Everything will be just _gummy!_" 

"Did you say gummy?" Seifer asked, staring at Selphie like she was an idiot. 

"_Gummy_. Gee Seifer, what's wrong with you today?" she asked, waving for him to follow her. She bent over and unrolled the sheet of paper. Seifer reflexively glanced at her bottom. And to his surprise- there was an ass there! She stood back up to her full height- which wasn't much- and looked over the banner, a smug look in her eye. Seifer frowned. What few curves he had glimpsed were now lost in that thick, loose jumper. He wondered what she would look like in _normal_ clothing. 

"Ever consider wearing anything besides that thing?" Seifer quizzed. 

Selphie looked down at herself. She shrugged. "There's no point...Paint time! IIIIIIIIIIIII'm....gonna soak up the sunnnnnnnn. I'm gonna tell everyooooooooone toooooo liiiiighteeen up! I'm gonna tell 'em that IIIIIIIIII've got no one to blaaame..." 

Seifer shut his eyes. _Hyne, preserve me from hyperactive women..._

~©~ 

THE BANNER WAS HUGE. IN big block letters, Jordan and Selphie had traced the words 'Garden Festival '09...Peace! Love! Happiness!' She had decided on using a hippie theme. Back around the Second Sorceress War, Balamb was overrun with hippies and flower children demanding peace! The funky colors and laid back setting was exactly what Selphie wanted. But the banner was huge. They had been working for nearly an hour, and only half of it was done. The Quad had been blocked off when plans for the Festival started, so no one interrupted them, but Selphie was sick of painting. 

Arms spread out, Selphie was lying flat on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. 

"I don't want to see another drop of paint," she declared. She propped up her legs, and then extended them again. The end of her jumper rode up her thigh, Seifer was free to look his fill at her legs. He grinned at them. _Who woulda thought the Messenger Girl was hiding world class legs under there?_ Seifer reached out and put a hand on her calves. She sat up. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Selphie asked, sitting up and looking at Seifer like had some kind of fungus growing out of his nose. 

Seifer sat up and leaned back onto his elbows. "You've got killer legs." With a smirk, he added, "Soft skin, too." 

"Ugh," Selphie grunted, rolling her eyes. "Men- you're all the same." 

"Are you comparing me to Irvine?" he asked, rolling back onto his stomach and grabbing a paint brush. "What happened to the cowboy anyway? Gone back to the open range?" 

Selphie shrugged and picked up a brush, dipped it in paint and continued with the first P in Happiness. "We broke up, and he went back to Galbadia. You're going to ask why, aren't you?" Seifer grinned. "Well, he chased every two-legged, warm-blooded female in sight. Now that I think about it, he went after Shelaina, and she's _cold-blooded_. Ooooooh!" She stabbed her paint brush, creating a funny blot on the P. "Whoopsies," she said cheerily, and painted over it. 

"So he dumped you?" Seifer asked. Irvine must not have noticed what Selphie was hiding under that hideous yellow jumper. 

She giggled. "You're kidding, right? Irvine- dump _me?_ Ha...ha..." 

"...So he dumped you?" 

"Yeeeaaaah...but I saw it coming. I _was_ going to dump him, but when I found out he was going to do it, I decided to let him. I think he was a little disturbed...teehee...He said, 'Selphie, I don't think we should see each other anymore. I want the freedom to see other girls!' and I said, 'Okay-dokay!' I think he expected me to swoon over and die of heartbreak. Teehee! Whatta 'bout you? Seein' anyone?" 

Seifer's brows furrowed. "This is a little weird. One day you're calling me a Lapdog, the next you're inquiring into my love life." 

Wincing, Selphie replied, "Sorry about that. But you were making out with that girl on my _poster_. And you keep calling me 'Little Messenger Girl!'" 

"What's wrong with 'Little Messenger Girl?'" he asked. 

"I'm _not_ little," Selphie said pointedly. 

He laughed, a rich and velvety laugh that echoed in the Quad and made Selphie want to laugh, too. She didn't, instead she stuck her tongue out at him. 

"You're what, 5"? 5'1?" You're...you're pretty little," he said. 

Selphie stood up, silently challenging him. One eyebrow arched, Seifer stood up, chin in the air and walked up to Selphie. He was more than a foot taller than her. He towered over her, smirked, and Selphie smiled sheepishly. 

"Okaaaaay, point proven," she said. "But I could still kick your bum!" She slapped the side of her hip for emphasis and stuck out her tongue. He grabbed it. That's right- he _grabbed_ her tongue between his thumb and index finger. 

"Ooooowww!" Selphie howled. Seifer tugged on her tongue, pulled her closer to him. "Hey buh-ee, whus yo probum! Leh me go!" She banged on his arm, but it was like an iron rod. 

He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Afraid of me now?" 

Selphie glared at him as much as she could. She lunged forward and bit at the edge of Seifer's finger. He immediately released her throbbing tongue. Selphie shouted, "No! What _is_ your problem, Seifer? Ahck! You taste like salt...ech..." 

He looked down at the bite marks on his hand and studied them closely. "I saw your post on the message board. That I wasn't like _that_, and that they shouldn't be afraid of me." It was worded strangely, but Selphie would understand. 

She thought about it for a minute, then nodded. The big curl around her head bobbed. "_Did_ you drill holes into some guy's feet?" He shook his head. "I didn't think so. Maybe it's because I never really _knew_ you that well, but I can't imagine you doing that. I don't think you're really that cruel- I mean, I _didn't_ think you were that cruel. Gummybears, my tongue hurts..." 

Seifer flashed her that famous smirk of his. "It's ten o'clock. Time to go. C'ya 'round..." And with that, he sauntered out of the Quad, leaving a big mess for Selphie to clean on her own. 

Her jaw dropped and she stuck her tongue out at his back. "LAPDOG!" she shouted after him. Selphie heard his laughter down the hall, and she wanted to hurl a bucket of paint at him. Selphie looked down at the unfinished banner. Reading the partially painted words Peace! Love! Happiness!, she sighed. At the moment, she was not thinking any of those things. She was thinking _Violence! Hate! Anger!_. Her tongue still felt weird, and Seifer's finger was really, _really_ gross. 

_The_ nerve _of that guy! He walks in here like Mr. Bigshot, zones out on me, has the guts to_ touch _me, complain about my clothes, grab my- my _tongue_ and then he just_ leaves _ like he was Sir Laguna or someone saintly like that...Oooooh! That's okay! I'm going to get him back tomorrow...LAPDOG!!_

~©~ 

**Please review...It would mean a bunch, thanks! ^_~* **


	4. A Little Intense

**Gummybears**  
By: Southwest Eggroll 

_Chapter Four: A Little Intense_

~©~ 

__

I can see it in your eyes, I entice you. 

So come on shorty if you think you can roll, 

With an iced out player ballin' out of control. 

--- 'I Do' _Toya_

~©~ 

THE NEXT DAY, SEIFER WALKED into the Quad, slowly and twenty minutes late. He thought it was empty again, but Selphie appeared from behind the stage, looking peppy as ever. She smiled at him for a minute, then glared. 

"You're late," she said. 

Seifer stretched and yawned, "Sorry." 

"Don't let it happen again." Her voice was stern but her face was not, so Seifer didn't take her seriously. He stretched his hands behind him. 

"So what're we doin' today, Shorty?" 

"Lapdog." 

"Shorty." 

"Lapdog!" 

"Shorty." 

"Lapdog. I could go on forever. Lapdog, again," Selphie replied, sticking out her tongue, but then putting it back in quickly. 

Seifer chuckled. "I asked you a question- what're we doing today? If it's nothing important, I kind of have date-" 

"It _is_ important, so your precious date will have to wait. Hee, that rhymed." Seifer arched an eyebrow at her. She continued, "We have to finish the banner. It should've been done yesterday, but _someone_ couldn't keep his salty hands to himself. Echie..." 

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get started." 

Together, they dragged the paints back into the main area of the Quad and started painting. They worked for a few minutes in silence. Every now and then, though, Selphie caught Seifer stealing glances at her. It was kind of strange being checked out, by _Seifer_ of all people. It made her feel bare. After a while, she couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and went to get a fresh bucket of lime green paint. She got a bucket, opened it and carried it by the handle back to where they were working. When Seifer wasn't looking, she spilled a little on the floor in front of her and purposely stepped in it. 

She walked over to Seifer, who was laying on his stomach on the ground, and set the bucket down next to him. She jumped onto his back and hopped over him. 

"Ay...Watch it," he warned. 

"Sorry," Selphie replied, going with her big, doe-eyed innocent look. When he focused on the banner again, Selphie smiled at the wonderful green footprint on Seifer's lower back. Meanwhile, Seifer was running out of red paint. 

"I'm gonna go get the red-" 

"I'll do it!" Selphie exclaimed, hopping up onto her feet. He glared Blizzagas at her, and she stepped _over_ him, albeit with a mischevious smile. She grabbed the red paint bucket and, on her way back, purposely stepped in the green paint again. This time, Selphie made sure to step right on top of Seifer's bum. 

"I told you to watch it!" he said. 

"Sorry," Selphie said. She gave him the innocent look, and he painted again. 

~©~ 

"IT'S DONE! IT'S DONE!" SELPHIE shouted. She was jumping up and down, her hands in the air and her heels nearly touching the backs of her thighs. "It's finally done, and if I ever see anymore paint, I'm going to _die!_" 

"Really?" Seifer said. He flicked his wrist. There was a paint brush in his hand, and bright green paint flew Selphie's way. It landed on her chest and all over her yellow jumper. Her eyes went big and her jaw dropped. 

"You're gonna pay for that!" she shouted, chunking a big red-tipped paint brush at him. Seifer blocked it with his arm, and it bounced off, falling with a big _splat_- right on top of their banner. 

"Shit!" 

"Ohmigosh-ohmigosh-ohmigosh!" Selphie cried. She ran to the banner and removed the paint brush. There were red spots everywhere. She was bouncing from one foot to the other. "_You ruined it! You ruined it-_" 

"_I_ ruined- what- Selphie, _calm down!_ I- We can fix it, I think. We can just paint over it. Just- stop bouncing, for Hyne's sakes!" He grabbed a thin paint brush and expertly covered over one spot, then another, and another...Selphie looked at him. A slow smile rose to her face, and her eyes were going doe-like again. In a matter of seconds, she had hopped to Seifer and wrapped her arms around his chest. 

"You saved it! ThankyousomuchyousaveditI'msohappyIcanbelieveyousavedit- muah! muah! muah!" She proceeded to plant large and completely unromantic kisses all over his chest. Seifer pushed at her shoulders in an effort to pry her off. She didn't move, just kept kissing. 

"You're welcome Selphie. Stop," he said. She didn't. "Selphie, let go!" He grabbed her chin with his free hand. She looked up at him with a huge and grateful smile on her face. 

"Stop." 

"Oh. Teehee, sorry. Gotta little carried away..." her voice trailed off as she unlocked her grip from around Seifer. He was looking at her in the strangest of ways, almost like he was looking for something in her eyes. And he had oddest expression Selphie had ever seen on Seifer's face. It was not mocking or sarcastic, not even cocky... 

Before Selphie knew what was happening, her eyes were sliding shut and she sensed Seifer leaning over her, coming closer. _He's going to kiss me, isn't he?_ She stepped onto her tip-toes, and his hands were moving around her hips- 

"Wooo!" Selphie exclaimed, moving away from Seifer before they made contact. She walked to her banner and looked it over. "It's finally done and it looks totally funktastic! I have to show somebody!" And with that, Selphie sped out of the Quad. 

~©~ 

SELPHIE BREATHED AGAIN WHEN SHE was out of the Quad. 

_Geez...that was a little intense...He was going to kiss me. And his hands were- they were on my hips, and I was- QUISTY!_

Quistis was coming around the corner, with a male student beside her. He was cute, Selphie thought, with dark brown hair, a nice looking tan and warm blue eyes. He smiled at her once he saw her, and Selphie liked him immediately. 

"Quisty!" Selphie exclaimed, embracing the blonde in an enthusiastic hug. Quistis, though she looked overwhelmed, hugged back. 

"Selphie, I was just looking for you. Um- well, I'd like to introduce Pilot Shaden. He expressed an interest in helping out with the Garden Festival. Pilot?" 

"Er, yeah. I uh, saw the banners all over the walls?" he said- or, rather asked. His voice rose at the end of nearly everything he said. "It caught my eye, so I decided to come sign up?" 

Selphie glomped him. 

~©~ 

SEIFER WALKED OUT OF THE Quad, feeling strangely normal. He cleaned up some of the paint off the floor(were those green shoe prints he saw?) and moved the banner off to the side. As he walked out, he saw Selphie hanging all over some brown-haired punk. Seifer didn't know him, hadn't seen him before, but he already didn't like him. 

"Hey Seifer! Guess what?" Selphie asked. She didn't wait for an answer. "Pilot's gonna help us out! He's gonna work with us on the Festival! Isn't that wonderful?" 

Glaring as best he could at Pilot, Seifer replied lamely, "_Thrilling._" 

Somehow, he wasn't so happy about it. 

~©~ 

THAT AFTERNOON, PILOT REPORTED TO the Quad. Selphie and Seifer were already there, arguing over where the lights should be placed. Selphie wanted them up high, because it created a dramatic effect. Seifer claimed it would take too much extra work, and they should be left on the bottom edge of the stage. 

"Look- this is _my_ Garden Festival, I'm in charge, and I say the lights go up there!" 

Seifer was in Selphie's face. "I won't do it. It's too much work-" 

"Too much work? Puh-lease, you're just being lazy-" 

"What's going on here?" Pilot asked, stepping next to Selphie. 

"Seifer's being lazy. He doesn't want to hook the lights up on top." 

"It's the same thing, Shorty! Putting them on top is just more work." 

"If you're busy, Seif'," Pilot said, "I would be glad to hang the lights." 

Seifer glared. _Did that punk just call me 'Seif?'_ He looked at Selphie. She was looking at Pilot like he was some kind of savior or something. She looked like she was going to pounce on Pilot any minute. Oh, she _did._

Encircling Pilot's neck with her arms, Selphie bounced up and down. "Really? You'd do that?" Pilot flashed her an award winning smile, and she squealed and let go of him. She turned to Seifer, whose teeth were clenched. 

"The lights are going _up,_" she said. 

~©~ 

SELPHIE WAS SITTING INNOCENTLY IN her dorm, being the perfect angel, when a very ticked off person started banging on her dorm door. She nearly fell out of the chair when the banging started, because she was so startled. She got up, wondering who sunk _this_ guy's boat... She opened the door, somewhat cautiously. 

Seifer was standing there, leaning on the inside of her door with his right arm behind him. His eyebrow was arched, and his teeth were clenched, and he was practically emanating fury. Selphie stepped back a few steps. There was something _really, really_ different about Seifer. Hair was the same, eyes were the same- the trench coat! He was dressed in a white shirt and black slacks, but he wasn't wearing his trench coat. Selphie was surprised. She thought he might literally fall apart without it on...It kind of...held him together. 

"Hello, Selphie," he said with a bite to his tone. 

"Heya Seifer. What's up?" she asked cheerily. 

"Oh, nothing. I was just hanging around with a few of my friends. One of them was kind enough to point- _this_- out to me." He lifted up his right arm, and his trench coat was held in his hand. He twisted it so Selphie could see the bright green footprints on the back of it. Selphie feigned innocence. 

"Gee Seifer, what did you sit in?" she asked, inspecting the stains. "Looks kind of like a park bench, but-" 

"Or maybe a shoe." 

"Or...maybe a _shoe..._Someone kick you in the bum lately?" 

"No. Not recently." 

"Oh yeah, I forgot, that was only when you were the Sorceress' Knight." 

Seifer snarled, "What the hell-" 

"Seifer, I've got stuff to do, so c'ya later!" She shut the door in his face, put her back to it and slid down, giggling insanely the whole time. Seifer banged his head lightly against the door, and then slammed his fist into it. 

"I'll get you back for this, Messenger Girl!" he promised from the other side. 

~©~ 

Haha, now Seifer's got competition! I've already got the next chapter written out, but I want to post slowly : ). I'm evil like that. Anyways, thanks to all the people who reviewed! The next chapter is called 'Sir Casanova', and it's going to be extremely sex-charged(though there won't be any actual sex, just a lot of talk about it). If that kinda thing offends you then...I guess this story isn't for you, because Seifer is a Sex God in my mind, and I'm probably always gonna write him like that. What do you guys think of Pilot? I think he's cute...I kind of imagine him as a blue eyed Josh Hartnett, pretty foxy if you ask me. But I still think Seifer's better looking ^_~* Just so you guys know, there IS going to be a plot to this...It's developing slower than I thought it wuld ^_^;;...When I planned this story out, it was only eight chapters long including an epilogue. I think it's going to be around eleven or twelve, though. I didn't want to drag it out....OH WELLS! 

Now all you gotta do is hit that review button. 


	5. Sir Casanova

**Gummybears**  
By: Southwest Eggroll 

_Chapter Five: Sir Casanova_

~©~ 

THE NEXT DAY WAS KIND of tense. Luckily for Selphie, Pilot decided he wanted to get the lighting done first thing in the morning, so he was there to make sure Seifer didn't do anything violent. Selphie shyed away from him the whole time, not looking him in the eye, but bursting into a fit of giggles every time she did anyway. 

~©~ 

"SELPHIE, I DON'T WANT TO sound too forward, but can I take you out somewhere? Maybe for ice cream- something like that?" Pilot asked the next day. They were writing down a list of all the food the caterer would need to provide. Seifer had left a few minutes earlier, claiming he had someone to meet. Selphie found it so strange that while nearly all the kids hated Seifer, he had no trouble whatsoever finding a tall blonde to screw in his spare time. She guessed maybe some women found him charming. She didn't, she decided, as she ran her tongue over her teeth. 

"Ice cream? I love ice cream!" Selphie replied. "So....is this like a date, or something?" 

Pilot blushed. Selphie giggled. He was adorable. "Yeah, if ya wanna call it that..." 

"Ice cream is my favorite food- after gummybears, of course." 

"Okay then, how about I take you out- on a date- for ice cream topped with gummybears?" 

Selphie put her hand to her heart. "You're preying on an innocent girl's weakness." 

"Is it working?" 

She grinned. "You betcha!" 

~©~ 

THE DATE WITH PILOT WAS going absolutely perfect. He took her to a small ice cream shop in Balamb, famous for having thirty-two flavors of ice cream. Pilot was holding a double scoop of chocolate. Selphie had wanted to set some kind of world record and eat a cone with every flavor available. Pilot cheered her on, but the sixth scoop caused the ice cream tower to collapse. Instead, she settled on a triple scoop- Mint Chocolate Chip, Really Badamb Sherbert, and vanilla- topped with gummybears of course. They were walking back into Garden, side by side. 

"So...tell me about your family?" 

Selphie licked her ice cream and shook her head. "I don't have one. I'm an orphan!" 

"Wow. What was that like?" 

"You might guess it would be a mega-bummer, but it wasn't, not for me anyway. What I remember was really awesome. I grew up with a lot of kids, so there was always someone to talk to. And Matron was the sweetest person you could imagine. She really loved us." 

"Sounds nice." 

"It was. Well- not _all_ of it. Once, Seifer held my favorite teddy bear prisoner. He said it attacked Matron in her sleep, and since he was her Knight, he had to protect her. He ended up chucking it into the ocean." 

"That sucks. Did he ever apologize?" 

"No. But it didn't matter. Matron took us to Dollet a little later and Irvine bought me a new one with his pocket money, I think. Don't remember all that well. GFs..." 

"Irvine?" 

"Long story. What about you? You're not an orphan, too, are ya?" 

"Nah," he said. "My mom died in the Second Sorceress War when I was three-" 

"Super-duper-mega-bummer!" 

"-and so it's just me and my pop. He's a great guy. He moved all the way over here from Winhill so I could be a SeeD. Sworn to defeat the sorceress. Since my mom died, I've always wanted to be a SeeD, so I could avenge her death and make it my business to defeat every sorceress that ever comes along. That's why I've got such a respect for you." 

"Respect? For me?" Selphie blushed. Her ice cream cone was a melted mess, so she threw it in the trash can outside of Garden. As she did, she heard a noise. "Did you hear that, Pilot?" He nodded. She tip-toed over to the front gates. Against one of the walls, Seifer was feeling up a redhead. The redhead was- 

"_Shelaina?_" Selphie shouted. "Oh. My. Gosh. That's _super_ low! For- for _both_ of you!" 

"What's the matter, Selphie?" Pilot ask, walking beside her. 

"What are you doing here, Messenger Girl? Wanna peice for ya'self?" Seifer's speech was slightly slurred, and he was smiling seductively at Selphie. She shook her head and walked to him, ignoring Shelaina's glares. 

"You're drunk," Selphie declared. 

"No...hic...not at all," he said. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sefie." 

Selphie frowned at him, then at Shelaina. "How much did he drink?" 

"I don't know. It's none of your business, anyway," Shelaina replied, putting her arm around Seifer's waist. 

"Yeah Sefie, none of your bizneth-bizness-bizneth," Seifer agreed lamely. Selphie stuck her tongue out at him. 

"Selphie, let's go," Pilot said from behind her. He put his arm around her hip in a protective manner. Seifer saw. 

He grinned at Pilot. "Oh, I see how it is. Hopin' to get lucky t'night, eh...Wha's your name?" 

"Pilot. Let's go, Selphie." 

"No," Selphie said. "I will _not._ He had no right to say that to you. And-" 

"Seifer, I didn't come here for this. I'll...see you tomorrow," Shelaina said. "Selphie." She walked off, swinging her hips and whistling. 

He glared daggers at Selphie. "This is the second time you've ruined- oh, shit..." His voice trailed off, and he leaned over the wall. Seifer threw up. Selphie rolled her eyes and looked at Pilot apologetically. 

"I'm really sorry, Pilot. You better go back in. I'll take care of Sir Casanova." 

Pilot glared at Seifer's back. "Come with me." 

"No, he's throwing up all over himself. It's not in me to just leave him like that. And besides, I'll get my revenge. He's going to have a _massive_ hangover tomorrow. Teehee, I'll have fun. So...see you tomorrow?" 

Pilot nodded. He kissed Selphie on her cheek and, throwing a suspicious glance back at Seifer, walked into Garden, hands in his pockets. Selphie turned to Seifer and sighed. She walked up to him, sighing some more and shaking her head. He was leaned over the wall, coughing up snot. Selphie put her hands on his shoulders and patted his back. She didn't know if it would help, but it seemed right at the moment. Seifer turned over and slid down so he was sitting with his back against the wall and his knees propped up. 

"I am _wasted_," he said loudly. 

Selphie looked down at him. "No kidding. Can you get up?" 

Seifer got to his feet, and the world started spinning. He nearly fell, but Selphie held him up as best she could. He was twice her size, so it was quite a job, but she managed. "We're gonna start walking now. Think you can handle it?" He laughed, and they walked into Garden together. "We're gonna have to be quick. Drinking isn't allowed at Garden. And I don't think you'll be able to hide it." 

"That Pilot guy kissed you," Seifer said. Selphie let him go and looked around the corner. She came back for him and they walked around the hall. "Did you hear me? That Pilot kissed you. Hehe...Pilot, like a plane. Does he fly planes-" 

"Seifer. Shut up." 

"Ay, you can't tell me to shut up, Messenger Girl." 

"Where's your dorm?" 

"I think it's this way...or maybe it's that way. Why're the lights so goddamn bright?" 

"It's dim, Seifer." Selphie steered him into the dorm halls, looking for his dorm. She had no idea which was his. Selphie was hoping Seifer would come to his senses soon and be sober enough to at least point out his dorm. 

"Really? So how come you let that Pilot guy kiss you but not me?" he asked. 

Selphie spotted a dorm with _Traitor!!_ written in pink. It had to be his. "You just threw up. I wouldn't kiss you to save my life." She opened up his trench coat and looked around for his keys. They weren't on the inside pocket, so she stuck her hand inside his jean pockets, without any hesitation. 

"Hey, I know I'm sexy, but control yourself. We can't do this out here." She moved her hands and reached into his back pockets. "Oooh, feisty aren't you?" His speech was improving, but he was still competely out of it. Selphie unlocked his dorm and pulled him in. She literally threw him onto the bed. He landed with a soft thump. "Damn, Sephie. I never thought you'd like it rough." Selphie started searching his drawers for asprin. "In the nightstand. Second drawer," he said. 

Selphie opened the second drawer. It was filled to the top with ridiculous looking condoms. She couldn't help it- she giggled and lifted up a package. It was a small box of ShivaCat's Cherry Flavored Condoms- _Doing it since 3019_. "You've _got_ to be kidding me. You actually use these things?" 

"Yeah, girls like 'em." He started unzipping his pants. Selphie shook her head. 

She walked to him, zipped up his pants and moved his hands away from his jeans. "Whoa- hey, I'm _not_ going to sleep with you." 

"Come on, Sephie. I lost Shelaina because of you. It's only fair, huh?" 

"I did you a favor. Shelaina is _dirty!_ You'd probably contract herpes if you slept with her." She found a bottle of Eden-ol brand asprin in his desk drawer. She got him a glass of water from the bathroom. 

"Are you _jealous?_" 

"Of what?" 

Seifer sat up and smirked. "I get it. You want me, and it just tore you up to see me with Shelaina." 

"You're more drunk than I thought you were..." 

"No need to be...hic...jealous. There's enough of me for all of you." 

Selphie wanted to ask who he meant when he said _all of you_, but she suspected he was seeing doubles and decided not to ask. "Here Seifer, take these." She held out water and two pills. He popped the pills in his mouth and took a large drink. Some of the water sloshed over the edge of the cup, and it slipped from his fingers. Selphie reached out and managed to save the glass, but water was all over the floor. She sighed and shook her head. "I cannot wait till tomorrow." She got up and walked into his bathroom for a towel. 

"What's happening tomorrow?" Seifer asked stupidly. He took off his boots and socks, set them aside and got up to see what was taking Selphie so long in the bathroom. He stood up and started to walk to- 

"Hey-" He slipped on the water and flew backwards. He bumped his head on the edge of his desk before landing flat on his back. Selphie rushed into the room, and immediately figured out what happened. She ran to Seifer, who was on the floor, clutching his head. 

"Fuck!" he cried. "Shit...that hurt." Selphie helped him sit up. He sat with his back against the bed. He had fallen in the water, and his shirt was soaking. Selphie pulled it over his head and tossed it aside. "Couldn't wait to get my shirt off, could you?" 

Selphie started cleaning up the floor. She wiped over the floor until it was dry, and then she looked up at Seifer to tell him he still needed to be at the Quad at 7 in the morning. Except he was nodding off. Just then, it occured to her that he probably had a concussion, and him falling asleep wasn't ideal at the moment. Selphie rushed to him and patted his cheek. 

"No! Seifer, Seifer, wake up! You can't fall asleep. Wake up." Selphie slapped harder, and Seifer stirred. 

"What was..." he yawned, and his eyes closed again. She pulled his lids open, but the moment she let go, Seifer's eyes slid shut. Selphie didn't know what to do. She slapped him harder; he didn't move. She looked around for something to hit him with, and then she realized that maybe _hitting_ him wasn't such a great idea, no matter how appealing it was. Selphie looked at him; she had an idea. She took a big gulp, forced her eyes shut and put her lips to Seifer's. When their lips touched, his mouth opened, and he slid his tongue between her teeth. He leaned forward and cradled her face with his hands. She responded to him for half an instant, and then it hit her. 

_Hey._

_He's awake._

Selphie backed away from him. "Heeeey! That's not funny! You were awake." 

He ignored her. "I haven't been waked up that nicely in years. I could get used to it." 

"Don't. I thought you were asleep." 

"I think I'm going to fall asleep again real soon," Seifer said, grinning at her. She had to laugh. 

"I'm gonna have to stay with you a few hours. If I leave, you might go to sleep and..." She gulped. Seifer smirked. 

Seifer added, "...you wouldn't be able to stop thinking about me. Sorry. I'm just naturally charming." 

Selphie rolled her eyes at him. "_Riiiiiight!_ So whatcha' wanna do?" 

He glanced at the second drawer of his nightstand and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Selphie. 

"How about we play a game?" 

"Strip poker?" Seifer suggested. 

"The ten-finger game!" 

"Wha?" 

"It's easy. I say something liiiike...'I haven't ever gone sky-diving.' If you've gone sky-diving, then you put a finger down. If you haven't, you keep one up. We take turns saying 'I haven't blah blah,' and whoever has their fingers down first, loses." 

Seifer let all of it sink in. _Why is she talking so loud...?_ He nodded and put up his hands. 

"Me first!" Selphie exclaimed. Seifer winced. Why was she screaming at him? And the lights were so bright..."I haven't ever gotten as wasted as you are right now." 

Seifer glared and put a finger down. "I haven't ever...worn a dress." 

Selphie put a finger down. "Darn it! I bet Zell you were a part-time crossdresser-" 

"What?!" 

"I haven't ever made out with a girl." 

Seifer grinned lecherously. He put down a finger. "I haven't ever made out with a guy." 

Selphie blushed. She didn't put a finger down. 

"_What?_" Seifer exclaimed. She grinned and blushed even more. "You're kidding, right?" She shook her head. "I can't believe that...Not even Irvine?" 

She shrugged and shook her head. "Nope. We kissed sometimes, small stuff...but never the whole suck-your-tongue-out business. I think that's why he left me. I haven't ever...tried to stick a pencil up my nose- and don't try to get out of this one because I know you have." 

Seifer laughed. His head throbbed a little, but the asprin was kicking in. "How?" He put down a finger. 

"You did it all the time at the orphanage! Mega-disgusting." 

"You remember a lot?" 

She shook her head, looking a little sad. "I wish I did. Sometimes I have dreams about the orphanage, funny stuff. I once dreamt that you and Quisty challenged each other to a duel. Matron gave you these little play swords, and you were at it forever. Then Quisty got tired, tripped you, took off your shoes and tied you to the nearest tree with the laces. Was that just a dream, or did it happen?" 

"I'm not sure," Seifer said a little too quickly. Selphie giggled. "I haven't ever been on a date with the Plane Guy." 

"The plane guy?" 

"Yeah, that guy...what's his name? Pilot! Yeah, I haven't ever been on a date with Pilot before." 

Selphie sighed and stuck a finger down. "That's a relief. I was beginning to think he was gay, and now that I know he hasn't dated you..." 

"What? Why?" 

"He's kind of perfect. Really fun, he's nice, good-looking...and all those guys are gay, teehee." 

"Of course, look at Zell." 

Selphie giggled and replied, "Don't let him hear you say that! He'll kick your bum." 

"So why'd you go on a date with _him?_" 

She shrugged. "Like I said, he's fun, nice and cute. Plus he asked me out for ice cream and gummybears. And I _never_ say no to gummybears! Not ever! Okaaay, my turn! I haven't ever had sex." 

"Me neither," Seifer said, giving Selphie an innocent look. Selphie went over to the second drawer in his nightstand, pulled out a box of condoms and chunked it at him. It hit him on the head. 

"Okay, okay!" he said. "I put a finger down...I haven't...I haven't stopped thinking about kissing you since you stuck your hands down my pockets." 

Selphie's face and neck turned a cherry red color. Seifer was wondering if she also blushed in other places, when she put all of her fingers down and said to him, "Okay, enough of that game! You are insanely drunk, but I think you should be able to sleep now. G'night Seifer." She hopped up and started to leave, but Seifer called her. 

"Help me up, will ya?" he asked, extending his nicely cut arm out. 

She smiled at him and hopped back to him. She put both hands over his and pulled him up with all her might. He made it to his feet, but fell back onto his bed, pulling her with him. She would've fallen smack on top of it- that was probably his intention- but she put a foot in front of her and regained her balance. She waved and told him goodbye, but he reached out and grabbed the thick strap of her jumped and pulled her back. 

"Wait, wait!" he said. "I have to tell you something, I have something I have to tell you..." He pulled her down, and Selphie lowered her face to his. He brought his lips to her ears. His breath tickled- her ears and other places. He opened his mouth. 

"Sephie, I-" And his head dropped onto the bed. He was asleep. 

Selphie stood up and looked at him. He looked almost..._innocent_ in his sleep. There wasn't any expression on his face, just blankness. _Wooo...Seifer's kinda cute. Nice abs, too,_ she thought devilishly. _Hmmph, at least I have the courtesy to check him out while he's sleeping, and I'm not sticking my eyes all over him while he's trying to_ work. _Speaking of which, I better get off to bed. Got work tomorrow._ She turned around and walked away. Very suddenly, something stopped her and Selphie snapped backwards like a dog at the end of its leash. Seifer's hand was still clutched around the strap of her jumper. 

"Oh, no..." Selphie groaned morosely. She put her hands over Seifer's and tried to unclamp his hands, but his fingers wouldn't budge. She looked at him and was about to wake him up but...she couldn't do it. He was sleeping so soundly, and Selphie was too nice to wake him up just then. She tried several more times to unlock his iron grip, but nothing worked. His hand was in a death grip around her jumper. 

"Seifer!" she shouted, finally realizing there was no other way. "Seifer, wake up! Wake up, wake up....you're not gonna wake up, are ya?" He didn't move, except for his chest as he breathed. Selphie stared at him for a while. Then, as if hoping to surprise him, she turned and ran for the door. And again, she snapped backwards, this time she almost fell. Selphie groaned and beat on Seifer's chest. "WAKE UP!" He didn't move. Selphie was almost sure he was awake, holding her there to torture her. "This is so absolutey, positively, super-duper-mega-sucky! He's got me chained to him like a dog or something." 

Seifer stirred. Selphie started jumping. "Wake up! Wake up!" 

He didn't. 

He rolled over, taking Selphie with him. She fell onto his bed and was literally dragged on top of him. Seifer was on his side, his arms in front of his chest, one hand still clenched around her jumper-strap. Selphie rolled over him. She was wedged between the wall and Seifer. She _really_ wanted to smack him right then, but she settled in between the wall and him and stared at the ceiling. 

_Tomorrow, Sir Lapdog is going to suffer. I hope his hangover is superly painful, just so I can make it worse! HA! Booyaka to him..._

~©~ 

SELPHIE WAS JUST WAKING, BUT she kept her eyes closed. It was going to be another beautiful day, and she started to mentally run through a list of things she needed to get done that day. _Start printing out and selling tickets, finish up that paper I owe Quisty, make Seifer's hangover worse- _

Just then, Selphie was aware that there was a pair of strong arms around her shoulders, and a very manly scent surrounded her. Her eyes opened. She was snuggled into Seifer's chest, and her leg was thrown over his waist. Her jaw dropped. She blushed, and blushed, and she kept on blushing... 

"You snuggle in your sleep," a rough voice said. Selphie looked up. Seifer's eyes were closed, but his expression was decorated with an all-too-wicked smile. 

Selphie sat up, literally jumped off the bed. She was furious, absolutely hopping mad. Stealing a quick glance at the clock, she noticed it was 10am. She was going to be late for her first class, but she _needed_ to give Seifer a peice of her mind. He was looking at her expectantly. 

"Look, buddy! All this 'please-have-sex-with-me-because-I'm-a-horny-git' stuff won't work on me! Some other girls might find you..._charming_... or something like that, but really, I find you sort of repulsive. You're definitely cute and you've got a nice body, but that's not just going to make me hop into bed with you! You know, the way you've been treating on me, it borders on sexual harassment, and I have half a mind to go to Cid and totally rat out on you, because you're being a super-duper-mega-jackass with all your lame pickup lines! 

"SO THERE!" she shouted. 

Seifer reguared her calmly for a second, and then his shoulders started shaking with laughter. His rich, deep laugh filled the room and made Selphie aware of his presence on the bed. It was beginning to make her uncomfortable, the fact that she'd _slept with him_in that very bed. He sat up on the edge and looked at Selphie again. 

"Sexual harassment, huh? I think, in order to be classified as harassment, the victim has to have said 'no' or 'stop' or something like that. You haven't." 

"I so have-" 

"No, let's think about this. When I touched your legs at the Quad, you asked me what I thought I was doing. You never said no, or stop. How was I supposed to know you wanted me to?" 

"BECAU-" 

"Last night, I don't know what happend. I was too wasted to remember a damn thing. I woke up and _you_ were in _my_ bed. You snuggled into me...I remember _that_ kinda clearly, now that I think-" 

Selphie wanted to slap him, slap him, _slap him_. What he said was true- she had never said no, and therefore, it wasn't quite sexual harassment. She glared at him, because it was the only thing she could do. He was talking some more, but Selphie wasn't hearing him. She wanted to blow him and his dorm and everything that he had touched to smithereens. _But that would suck superly because he's touched_ me. _And it was all really disgusting!_ Seifer got up and walked to her. She didn't notice. _I really wish Irvine and I were still together. That way, Irvine could blow Seifer Almasy up with his shotgun! Why the heck is my heart pounding so hard all of a sudden?_ Suddenly, she was aware of a pair of lips on her eyebrow...Hey, that was _Seifer_ putting his hands around her midsection, with his lips softly grazing her brow. 

She slapped him and ran to his door, just praying that Seifer couldn't hear her heart pounding. She looked at him, smiled and gave him the finger. 

~©~ 

**I just had to get them in bed, didn't I? Ha ha...Sorry, but I like getting my characters into bed. The fuss afterwards never fails to amuse me in some way or another. **

Please review! I need to know how I did...so...ya know, tell me! 


	6. Wonderful Vacation

**Gummybears**  
By: Southwest Eggroll 

_Chapter Six: Wonderful Vacation_

~©~ 

_ Baby was smooth but I knew it was game, _

Helluva cool but you men are the same, 

The way he licked his lips and touched my hips, 

I knew that he was slick. 

--- 'You Make Me Sick' Pink 

~©~ 

SELPHIE WAS SITTING ON A table in the Quad two weeks later, a notebook in hand, and she was crossing out things that had already been done, writing things that needed to be done, and checking off a list of things she had on her to-do list for that day. She still hadn't designed the tickets, and there was a little less than two-and-a-half months left until the Garden Festival. There was still a number of things that needed to be completed, but Selphie was sure everything would make time. Between Pilot, herself and Seifer, that work had gotten done wonderfully. 

Pilot. He was such a fun guy, and he had taken Selphie out on another ice cream date to Balamb. They managed to get nine scoops before it fell over, and Selphie settled on the same cone she did the previous time. Fortunately, there were no interruptions, and Pilot walked Selphie to her dorm, leaving her with a goodnight kiss-on-the-cheek. Selphie flipped over a page and wrote PILOT. She decorated it with hearts and cute little squigglies. 

Seifer. Selphie stabbed her pen into the notebook. It created an indent, and Selphie ran her fingers over it. She was tired of his attempts to get her in the sack, but since the time Selphie ended up sleeping in his bed, they hadn't said one word to each other. Selphie didn't know exactly why it bothered her, but she thought it had something to do with her heart. You see, it had this terrible habit of pounding so loudly when someone said 'Seifer' or whenever she saw or thought about him. It was extremely annoying, and it had started that morning, when he kissed her brow. It was a strangely gentle gesture, something she didn't know Seifer was capable of. 

_When I feel his presence around,_  
_I can't help it- my heart will pound._  
_My thoughts leave, my mind goes splat,_  
_And all this happens just like that!_  


Selphie liked it as she thought it, and she scribbled it into her notebook. She was about to write 'About Sir Lapdog' above it, but her heart started that infernal pounding again. She sighed and frowned, feeling like she was waking the dead with her unstable heart. _Maybe I should see a doctor?_ Suddenly, a hand reached for her notebook and grabbed it from behind her. She hopped off the table with a quickness. Seifer was standing with her notebook in front of his face. 

"When I feel his presence around/I can't help it- my heart will pound," Seifer read aloud. "You're kidding, right? My thoughts leave, my mind goes splat/And all this happens just like that. Hyne, Messenger Girl, you're one sappy-" 

She couldn't stop the insane blushing that crept up her neck. She stammered, "G-give that back, Lapdog!" 

"But it's so...romantic. I kind of want to keep it. Maybe I'll share it with Pilot. He'll get a kick out seeing his name decorated with hearts. And this poem to him-" Selphie let out a sigh of relief. If Seifer ever suspected the poem was about him, she'd _never_ live it down. "-would really put the icing on the cake." 

"Yeah, so I wrote a poem about Pilot. What?" 

"Ever write one about me?" Selphie wanted to die right then. Seifer approached her, got dangerously close. 

"What would I write about? Oooh! I know! 'Seifer makes me sickly green/I want to blow him to smithereens!' Heeeey...that was pretty good." 

Seifer glared and shoved her notebook back at her. "So I thought you weren't talking to me," he said. 

"I'm not. _You_ stole my notebook first." 

He chuckled, and then walked a few steps away, his back turned. He moved so he was facing Selphie again; he was biting his lip. _He's nervous about something...Seifer? Nervous? Must be something big. Maybe he's...no, he's not! Is he? He wouldn't- I mean, not after the poem._

"Look, this isn't working very well, us not speaking to each other," Seifer said coolly. He wasn't quite meeting Selphie's eye, rather her eyebrow. "I'm....sorry about the whole 'hitting on you' thing." 

It wasn't what Selphie had expected; she was darn surprised, and she let him know it. 

"What?" 

"I'm apologizing, Tilmitt," he said. 

"WHY?" she replied, looking at him like he had suddenly grown an extra head. 

"Because it's not working. Every order you give me has to go through Pilot since you won't speak to me. And I can't stand that guy. He's so...so...self-righteous." 

Selphie snorted. "Teehee...Okay-dokay. Apology accepted. But from now on, we respect each other's personal space. Woo...I can't believe you actually apologized to me. I need to start carrying around video cameras..." 

He shrugged and casually brushed one hand on the other. "What needs to get done today?" 

"Right. We have to design tickets and start printing them out. After that, we have to hang some streamers around." She settled into a chair and looked down at her notebook. 

"Do we have streamers?" Seifer asked, suddenly very business like. 

Selphie stared at him before answering, "No. Pilot and I will probably make a trip to Balamb later and pick some up." 

"Oh. Another date with Plane Guy," Seifer replied. 

"Does that bother you? But then again, it doesn't matter if it does, 'cause it's my life and not yours! Booyaka!" she said hyperly, and with a smile. She pulled a sheet out of her notebook and made a rectangular shape on it; it was the template for the ticket. 

Seifer gritted his teeth. "There's something not right about Mr. Pilot." 

"Oh, you mean he's _so_ self-righteous?" Selphie replied meanly. She didn't want to discuss her relationship with Pilot with Seifer. He was asking too many questions that didn't concern him, and as nice as Selphie was trying to be, she couldn't help it if some things came out a little on the bitchy side. 

"No. He's just different. The fact that I've never seen him around Garden is one thing," he pointed out, looking over Selphie's shoulder. 

"Seifer, I appreciate your concern, but I think I can handle Pilot on my own." 

She turned around and smiled at him. He smirked back at her, gave her a once-over that made her heart start pounding again, and then said, "I'm sure you can. The way you threw me on the bed the other night..." 

She jabbed a finger at his chest. "You said you were gonna stop that." 

"Stop what? You're touching _me_. Hmm...I think the tickets should be light red, dark red text. Does Garden Festival have a slogan yet?" 

Selphie narrowed her eyes at him, removed her finger and shrugged. "Peace! Love! Happiness!" 

"Pretty much your anthem?" 

"Right!" 

"How about we put that sideways, like so..." He put his arms over her shoulders, placed his fingers on the sheet of paper and moved them down the length of the ticket. "This way, it will say Peace! Love! Happiness! here, and then Garden Festival on the opposite side. Information can go right here...And then stick some kind of flower-child design here to fill the empty space." 

Selphie was focusing, but barely. Seifer wasn't wearing his trench coat, as it was still being dry-cleaned, and Selphie was enduring the sensation of his finely muscled arms over hers, skin against skin. Her heart was pounding again, and she wondered if Seifer could hear it? She was mortified as she thought _What if he can feel my pulse?!_ She processed what he had suggested. 

"Wow. That's perfect. I'll get Alecksa, my computer friend, to design it on her PC, and then I'll send them to Namia to get printed out! Awesome, and I thought it was gonna take forever," Selphie said. She regretted being so sour to him before. She thought designing tickets was going to be a pain, but Seifer's idea had proved to work just right. She smiled at him. 

~©~ 

GARDEN HAD AN AIR OF aloofness about it lately, one that made Selphie hope for the speedy arrival of the Festival to get the place back in motion. Everyone had one reason or another to be rude, or completely uncaring, and that irked Selphie to no end. Garden Festival would put some dearly needed excitement back in the air. She half-skipped, half-walked to Pilot's dorm and knocked. She waited, and there was no answer. 

"Pilot! It's me, Selphie!" she shouted through the door. Someone came out of her dorm to see what all the noise was about. Selphie put on an official look. "SeeD business ma'am, please step back inside your dorm." The girl nodded, wide-eyed, and closed the door. Selphie giggled, and just then the dorm opened up. Pilot was in a rolling chair. He waved to Selphie, gave her a warm smile and rolled back into his dorm to his desk. 

"Hey Selphie, whatcha' need?" he asked jovially, putting his pen to paper and scribbling a few notes. 

She walked in and looked around. His dorm was absolutely immaculate. She couldn't see one wrinkle on his bed sheets, and his open closet was in size-order. This kind of neatness made Selphie unbelievably clumsy, so she clasped her hands in front of her and stood away from things. 

"Wooow. Your dorm is really..._neat._" 

Pilot laughed. "Yeah...I get bored a lot, I guess. I'm just in the middle of an exam paper. You know the drill." 

"Exams? Mega-bummer. Then I guess you can't steal away for a day to go on a trip to Balamb with me? We could go get the streamers, spend the night in the hotel...Thought it would be nice." 

Looking sadly regretful, Pilot shook his had at her. "I haven't had a spare moment since they started a week ago." 

"Bummer. And yet you've still been finding time to work on the festival with me and Seifer?" 

"Well, once I make a commitment..." 

"Teehee, thanks a lot, Pilot! You have no idea what your help means." He beamed. "I'll go ahead and letcha' get back to your paper." 

"Yeah...hey Selphie, thanks for stopping by. It's always a good thing to see you." 

Selphie resisted the urge to glomp him. She walked out of his dorm and shut the door quietly, reveling in the fact that some guys could be so unbelievably sweet. Selphie practically floated to Seifer's dorm. The _Traitor!!_ had been wiped off, but there was still a vague trace of it. The door was slightly open. When Selphie knocked, it slowly opened on its own. She stepped inside. 

"Seifer?" His dorm was the exact opposite of Pilot's. Pens and crumpled pieces of paper were thrown everywhere, socks and shoes were scattered around, and his bed was a big mess of sheets. Things were hanging out of his drawers, and his closet was not organized in anyway Selphie could tell. 

No one had answered her call, so Selphie figured he might be in the bathroom. It was a weekend, and Selphie hadn't seen him anywhere else in Garden. The door to the bathroom was slightly ajar. She pushed it open. 

He was sitting with his back against the wall, between the toilet and the tub. His head was between his knees, giving Selphie the impression he was asleep. He was wearing black slacks, even though his upper half was bare. She whispered his name. He didn't move; he was asleep. She crept over to him and placed her fingers on his arm. Almost instantly, Seifer was to his feet in a defensive position. Selphie was startled, and she jumped back. 

"Messenger Girl? What're you doing here?" he asked in a raspy voice. 

"I came to ask you a question. Why were you sleeping in your bathroom?" 

"You came here to ask me _that?_" 

Selphie crossed her arms. "No! I just wanna know..." 

He shrugged and rubbed the upper part of his left arm with his right hand. Gooseflesh covered him. "I...guess I just fell asleep. What did you need?" 

"Will you come on a trip to Balamb with me?" she asked, giving him a hopeful look. "To get the steamers? We could stay the night, too! Be a nice vacation...Whaddaya say?" 

"I thought you were going with Pilot," Seifer replied. 

"Yeah, but he can't make it. So, come with me?" 

He scratched his chin, eyed Selphie and then nodded. "Yeah, why not." 

~©~ 

"DO YOU ALWAYS WEAR THAT jumper?" Seifer asked as Selphie was driving to Balamb. 

"Do you always wear that trench coat?" she replied, looking at him through the corners of her eyes. 

"Yeah, until a Little Messenger Girl nearly ruined it," he said. 

"Teehee, sorry. You still haven't gotten me back, you know," she said. 

He shrugged. "Ah, you know me, I'm not one to hold on to childish grudges." 

She laughed, "So that means you're still thinking about your revenge?" 

"Yep." 

~©~ 

IT WAS RAINING IN BALAMB, and Selphie thought it was a sign of ominous times. Neither of them wanted to get wet, so they checked into the hotel first thing and stayed there. They were sharing a room with two big beds. Selphie jumped onto hers, throwing her bag down beside it. She hopped a few times then landed softly on her bum. 

"Gosh, I love hotel beds. They're so comfy compared to Garden's," Selphie commented. She stretched, giving Seifer the impression of a cat. 

"Yeah, the Garden beds are squeaky, too," he pointed out. 

Selphie laughed, "Only yours. If you weren't so hard on it..." 

"What are you implying, Tilmitt?" he asked, a smirk gracing his features. 

She rolled onto her stomach and took out the directory from the drawer in the nightstand. Selphie flipped it open to the room service page. 

"Mmm! Look at all this food. I'm starving! What about you? Hmm...I'm gonna order some stuff. What do you want?" she asked. 

He shrugged. "Anything with noodles." 

"Noodles?" 

"Yeah, I like noodles." 

"Noodles," Selphie repeated. "That's strange." 

"Why?" he asked. 

"I figured you'd like something..._ya know_...like raw meat. Not noodles." 

"Raw meat? What the heck gave you that idea?" he quizzed, an eyebrow raised at her. 

Selphie shrugged. "You always gave me the tough guy impression. Raw meat seems tough guy-ish to me! Howz' about some fettucini alfredo? Zell told me it's really good from here. And if he thinks anything besides hotdogs is good, it must be." 

Seifer nodded. 

"I'm gonna have...Ya know what? I'm gonna have fettucini alfredo, too! And a banana split." Selphie called in an order for two fettucini alfredo plates as well as two banana splits. The hostess cheerily told her it would be up in a minute. Selphie bounced to the window and looked out. Rain was pouring, and pouring, and Selphie laughed. 

"That's so weird. Over here, it's raining and at Balamb Garden it's just peachy-keen," she said. 

"I haven't had a vacation in a while. This is nice," Seifer told the ceiling. 

Selphie flopped onto the bed. "So what does the Sorceress' Knight do for fun?" 

He regarded her with a raised eyebrow for a moment. Seifer shrugged. "Haven't had much fun lately. I guess...I don't know." 

"Don't know? Okay, what does _Seifer_ do for fun?" 

He was going to tell Selphie that there was no difference. Because there wasn't, right? Seifer was the Sorceress' Knight, and there was no way he could ever escape that. He was silent for another minute, but words spilled from his mouth. "I used to go clubbing a lot. Balamb doesn't have any night clubs, but I would take trips to Dollet and Deling City on weekends, while I was still a student at Garden. Night life in Deling is wild." 

"Sounds awesome. Like it would be a lot of fun." 

Seifer sat up and looked at her. "You'd probably like it. Kind of wild, kind of dangerous, a lot of fun." 

"Story of my life!" Selphie exclaimed. "Ya know, you're not so bad once you drop the Sex God act." 

"Sex God?" Seifer chuckled. He laid back down on the bed, shoulders shaking. He raised an eyebrow and smirked seductively at her. "It's not an act," he said solemnly. 

The seriousness in his tone caused both of them to laugh, and laugh, and laugh, until someone knocked on the door. A young boy in a suit pushed in a cart piled with steaming plates. Selphie bounced up, exclaiming that it smelled delicious. The boy left, and Seifer and Selphie pulled chairs up to the cart and ate right off it. 

After trying some of his food, Seifer nodded. "The Chickenwuss was right." 

"Why do you call him that?" 

"You were there, weren't you? You were the Messenger Girl." 

Selphie nodded, but said, "I know _why_, but...He hates that name. Honestly, do you call anyone by their real names?" 

"Yeah...just about everyone," he said to Selphie. 

She shook her head as she put a forkful of alfredo covered noodles in her mouth. "Not any of the Orphanage Gang...I'm Tilmitt or Messenger Girl. Zell is Chickenwuss. Squall is Puberty Boy, or sarcastic _Commander_; Quisty is Instructor, with that mocking tone in your voice, and Irvine is Cowboy or Yee-haw. And you call Pilot Plane Guy. What's with that?" 

Seifer considered her words. He shrugged and took a bite of his food. "Damn. You've got me all figured out, huh?" 

She snorted. "Not as much as I wish I did." 

"Why?" he said, putting his fork onto his plate. It made a small _cling!_ that made his statement seem harsher than it was meant to be. "I mean, I'm just your hired help, right?" 

Selphie leaned forward. "Why would you say that? You're-" 

"One of you? No, no, that's where you're wrong. We went to the same orphanage, and there, the likenesses stop. I'm the Sorceress' Knight. You are a SeeD. We're on opposite sides." 

"Are you still loyal to Ultimecia, after she's dead?" Selphie asked curiously. 

Seifer smirked. He laughed, "Now that would be stupid. I'm not loyal to Ultimecia..." 

"Then you're no longer the Sorceress' Knight." 

"But I am...I chose to become the Sorceress' Knight when I followed Matron into that portal. I made that decision, and no one, not one damn person is going to let me forget that. Everywhere, people either hate me, or fear me, because to _them,_ I will always be the Sorceress' Knight. And if the world can't forget, how can I?" 

Selphie tilted her head. "When you started working with me, I never thought of you as the Sorceress' Knight. You were just Seifer Almasy, notorious pervert and lazy jackass." 

He laughed aloud. "Lazy jackass?" 

"Well, you wouldn't hang up the lights...Hmm..." She paused. "Seifer, no one is as bitter as you seem to think. Most people think you were brain washed, so they sympathize with you-" 

"I don't want sympathy," he replied curtly. "And I wasn't brain washed. I made every decision on my own." 

"See? The world won't forgive you because you won't let it...If it makes any difference...I forgive you." 

Seifer swallowed. He watched Selphie blink and take drink of water. He shrugged and studied his plate. Quietly, he started, "After the whole conflict was over...Raijin and Fujin went back to Garden. They were practically begging me to come with them, but I couldn't face anyone. So I lived on the streets. I tried to get a job...but everyone remembered me as the Sorceress' Knight. No one saw me as Seifer fucking Almasy. Not one person I met afterwards called me 'Seifer' or even 'Almasy'. It was always lapdog-" Selphie winced. "-or traitor. The fact that some people were still fucking afraid of me made me so..._mad_. Even now, it makes me want to puke- just knowing that I'm going to go down in history for the fucked up things I did. But then again, what else is there to remember me for?" 

Quietly, Selphie answered, "The awesome Garden Festival you're helping create." 

"Not willingly. I was forced into this, remember? So even if I did start to enjoy working on it, it would be written down as forced work." 

"Have you? Started enjoying it?" 

He smirked and shrugged. "It gives me something to do." 

"Aw! Face it- you like Garden Festival!" 

His expression softened, and Selphie thought she saw a lecherous glint in his eye. "Not so much the Garden Festival, rather, the Little Messenger Girl heading it up." 

Selphie beamed at him. She sighed, "Yeah, you're not so bad, once you get past that-" 

"Sex God act? I told you, it's not an act." He leaned forward and grinned devilishly at her. "I can prove it." 

Instead of replying, Selphie got a spoonful of ice cream from her melting banana split. She grinned to catch his eye, then flipped the spoon at him. Whipped cream and ice cream landed right on top of Seifer's nose. 

"Melt _that,_ hot boy!" she shouted, jumping up from her chair and running. Seifer, got up, cleaned his face off, and glared at Selphie. 

"You're asking for it," he said, before taking off after her. He ran around the bed, but Selphie jumped over it and speeded out of the room. Seifer followed her. When he got out into the hallway, she was no where to be found. There was only one exit, so he walked down the stairs, just in time to see a yellow blur speeding out of the hotel. Seifer jogged after her. He peeked outside the window near the doors. Selphie was hiding just outside the doors. He guessed she planned on scaring him. Resisting the urge to laugh right out, he strolled out of the door like he didn't have a care in the world. 

Selphie pounced on him from behind. Of course, Seifer was expecting it. He did a tricky little move with his feet that landed Selphie on her back on the floor. Within seconds, he was straddling her. She screamed. 

"Waaaa!" she said. "What was that for?" 

"Melting yet?" he asked, leaning over her. 

_Yes- whooooooa! Did I just think that?_ "Bite my nunchaku!" she laughed. 

"Was that an offer? 'Cause it sounded kind of lecherous to me," he replied, tickling her sides. 

Between giggles, Selphie cried out, "No! No, only....teehee! Ahhh! Stop that!" She was laughing insanely, unable to control herself. Seifer was having a fine time of it, too. He was furiously tickling her, showing no mercy and ignoring the tears streaming down her cheeks. Selphie put her fingers to his sides and tickled violently. 

He wasn't nearly as ticklish as she was, but the act distracted him and Selphie managed to kick him up, delivering a knee to his groin. Seifer grunted, grabbing at his crotch. 

"That was totally uncalled for!" he shouted. 

"Was it just me, or did your voice sound a bit high?" she asked playfully, propping herself up on her elbows. 

"Owwoooww..." Seifer grunted. "I don't think I'll be able to have kids anymore..." 

Selphie laughed, "Some might consider that a good thing, teehee!" She paused. "Why didn't we get the streamers?" 

"We didn't want to get wet," Seifer replied, sticking his tongue out and catching rain in his mouth. 

~©~ 

**Gosh, maybe it's just me, but I *adore* Selphie and Seifer together! New favorite pairing, woop woop! Please review, I wanna know how I'm doing! I'm afraid I got out of character in this chapter...That's my biggest fear. I started getting comments complementing my characterization, so now I'm even more worried...Please tell me how I did with this one! **

If you absolutely love Final Fantasy romance stories, like I do, you should check out the Final Fantasy Loveshack. It's a brand new website for Final Fantasy romance only and it's pretty kickass, if you ask me. [ http://www.ff-loveshack.de ] Go check it out! 


	7. Leave Me Breathless

**Gummybears**  
By: Southwest Eggroll 

_Chapter Seven: Leave Me Breathless_

~©~ 

Waste my days, 

Drown aways, 

It's just the thought of you, 

In love with someone else, 

It breaks my heart. 

--- 'Keep Fishin' _Weezer_

~©~ 

THEY BOTH AGREED THAT THEIR vacation ended too soon. They purchased streamers and headed back to Garden the next day. Seifer slept most of the way and growled at Selphie when she sang too loud. When they arrived at the Parking Lot, Seifer waved good-bye to Selphie and told her he was going to crash at his dorm. Selphie wondered if she should be worried for him- he had slept _a lot_ on the return trip. Then she reasoned that Seifer would go to the Infirmary if something was wrong. And then she realized that was not true. He stayed out of there as much as he could, avoided the place like going in there would make him look like a wussy. 

She decided not to bother herself with it, instead she left for the Quad. 

~©~ 

"WILL ALL SEED CANDIDATES REPORT to the Front Hall? I repeat: Will all SeeD candidates report to the Front Hall?" said a mechanical voice over the PA system. Seifer tensed. 

So it was today, the SeeD exam. 

The pre-requisite had been too easy for Seifer- way too easy. He slung his gunblade over his shoulder and walked casually down the hall, never betraying the nervous storm that was working itself up inside of his stomach. He normally wouldn't have been nervous- be he knew this was his last shot at SeeD. Every other time had been just another exam. But not this one, this was his very last chance, and he would not screw it up. He wondered if Quistis would put him as squad leader again. No, she wasn't stupid...As usual, he _wasn't_ in his uniform. Seifer didn't know where it was- or if it even fit him, for that matter. Every year, students were given new uniforms. Seifer never went for a new one, so all he had was the uniform given to him when he first joined Garden. He doubted it would fit his frame now. 

In the Front Hall, a group of students had gathered, and Cid was already giving his speech. It was the same every year. Seifer would know. Quistis waved him over to the side. 

"You're in Squad B again," she whispered. 

"Who's the leader?" Seifer asked quietly. 

"Pilot Shaden," Quistis replied. "Nice guy." 

Seifer clenched his fist. This was going to be wonderful. 

~©~ 

XU WALKED INTO THE TRANSPORT vessel and greeted everyone but Seifer. She skipped over him, didn't even give him a raised eyebrow. He chuckled, and that earned him a glare from her. 

"This mission is relatively simple," she began. "14 hours ago, a request for SeeD was made by the Winhill Legislature. An entire flock of Thrustaevis birds have swooped down on the city. They're trashing the place- tearing it to pieces, literally. There aren't many young people in that town to fend them off. You'll be the only squad in the city, and three SeeDs will be your back up, including Quistis and I. Your job is to clear out the monsters in the city. Simple enough, right?" 

She paused, then eyed Seifer intently. "_Any_ misconduct will result in a deduction from your score. Choosing whether or not to obey one order can make the difference between SeeD and the hotdog stand." Seifer smirked at her. He thought it was odd she would remind him, like she _wanted_ him to make it. 

"Lovely, as always, Xu," he said sardonically. 

She did a sarcastic bow in his direction, then walked to the control part of the vessel, leaving Pilot, Seifer, Logue(the last third of their squad) and Quistis in the passenger space alone. Quistis sat, as always, with her hands folded and her posture perfect. Seifer smirked, and she raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Yes?" 

He shrugged. "You don't change." 

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Quistis asked. 

"Every year, you sit with your hands crossed in your lap, and your back stiff as a board. You should loosen up, Instructor, be more like-" 

"Selphie?" she interjected, a wicked smile on her face. 

Seifer leaned back and slung his arm over the bench-style seats they were in. "Yeah, more like Selphie." 

~©~ 

QUISTIS SMILED TO HERSELF. SHE knew that if anything would shut Seifer up, it would be the mention of his relationship with Selphie. She had informed Quistis of their lovely weekend in Balamb, and Quistis was impressed. It was too obvious Seifer felt something for Selphie, even if Selphie didn't see it, and Seifer didn't know it. 

The vessel came to a stop. Pilot opened the door, and ordered his squad out. They all gave Quistis a salute, then left for Winhill. 

~©~ 

WINHILL WAS, FOR THE MOST part, deserted. It looked like a ghost town, save the monsters. Seifer sauntered in behind Pilot, Logue standing next to him. 

"So let's get to kickin' some monster ass!" Logue exclaimed. 

_Oh, no..._Logue was like Zell, only worse. Seifer smiled a very plastic smile at him. 

"Yeah, monster ass," Seifer added lamely, with a lazy punch of his fist. 

"Both of you knock it off," Pilot scolded. Logue glared at his back. 

Seifer asked, "Knock _what_ off? We weren't doing jack, _captain._" 

"You're disrespecting me, _cadet._ Now let's get into the city. I see a bunch of Thrustaevis up there," he said, and jogged off. Seifer glared at his back as he followed him. 

They dispensed of the Thrustaevis birds, just to be attacked by another flock. They quickly sent those back to the earth, and had a short rest period before they were attacked my another group. Attack, kill, stop. Attack, kill, stop. That was how their next two hours went. It was boring, and Seifer was itching for some real action. Thrustaevis birds were easier to kill than flies, _literally._ One bullet from Hyperion sent them backwards in the air. 

"This mission sucks ass," Logue said. "It's so damn boring." 

"No kidding. They get worse every year," Seifer pointed out. He ran a hand through his hair, looking smooth as he did so. 

Pilot smiled wickedly. "Selphie told me last year's mission was pretty exciting. She tells me a lot." 

Seifer Almasy, ex-Sorceress Knight, knew a challenge when he heard one. He stuck his gunblade in the ground and put a hand over the hilt. He smirked at Pilot. 

"Yeah," he said. "She's a very trusting girl. But we didn't talk much at the hotel in Balamb." Seifer was simply stating an opinion, but he knew Pilot would read too far into the statement; Pilot would assume Seifer was implying that he and Selphie had sex. Which, he reflected, would get his ass kicked by Selphie if she ever found out. Pilot immediately frowned. A Thrustaevis bird swooped down behind Seifer and nipped him on the shoulder, taking a bit of skin with it. 

"Fuckin' birds," Seifer growled. He wielded Hyperion and swung it once in the air. He aimed it at the little hellbird and fired. Like always, the thing roared, already half-dead, and flew backwards in the air. It charged forward with fury. Just then, pain exploded in Seifer's right arm, and it drove him to his knees. He impulsively grabbed at his arm and inspected it. A deep, diagonal gash ran from the base of his elbow to the front areas of his shoulder. A sword wound. Only one person in the squad wielded a sword: Pilot. 

Seifer looked up. Pilot was wearing a shocked, innocent look that Seifer saw right through. 

Thrustaevis birds smelled blood a mile away, and suddenly the entire flock was on them. Seifer felt himself grow suddenly tired; Pilot must've had Bio and Silence junctioned into his status attack. Poison was seeping its way into Seifer's blood stream, and he couldn't cast the Esuna to stop it. He lifted Hyperion with his good arm and quickly fended off a Thrustaevis. His breath was growing haggard, and he could feel the life draining out of him. He searched around in his pockets for something- anything- to keep him alive. If he KOed, the Thrustaevis would probably tear him apart. And he knew he couldn't count on Pilot to save him. Logue might protest, but he would ultimately follow his captain's orders. He found a High Potion and drank the liquid. The nasty wound healed a bit, but not by much. The poison was doing its part. 

When it became available, Seifer used Demon Slice on a Thrustaevis that was doing a number on Logue. The exertion got Seifer on his knees again. He fell forward. _I'm going to die, aren't I? All because of that punk Plane Guy. Little shit's got it bad for Selphie, and he thinks there's something going on between us. Me and the Messenger Girl. It's almost as funny as me and bouncy little Rin._

_But that worked out, for a while anyway, didn't it?_ said a little voice in his head. 

Then there was relief. And damn, it felt good. Seifer lifted himself up, poison free, and let the Curaga someone had just cast on him wash over him. It felt good, like a glass of ice cold water on a sweltering hot day. He got onto his feet again. Logue. He smiled at him and held out a hand. 

"Thanks," he said. Logue shook his hand firmly. 

Logue replied, "No prob Bob. I would've cast it on you sooner, but I didn't realize what was going on until you saved me from that bird back there. Thanks a lot for that, by the way." 

Pilot looked positively disappointed. He glared at Logue. "If you can't fend off a Thrustaevis, what makes you fit for SeeD?" 

Seifer narrowed his eyes at him. "Who the hell made _you_ Headmaster?" he snarled. 

"Not Headmaster, but squad leader. I own you, Almasy," Pilot replied viciously. 

"The fuck you do," he replied. "I could-" 

"Get you out of Garden before you could say 'jackass'," Pilot threatened. 

Seifer smirked. "And then Selphie would be all yours, eh? It would solve your problem." 

Pilot took a threatening step toward Seifer. A grin came to his face. "Oh, there never was a problem. You and I both know, when it comes right down to it, who she would choose between the two of us. Come on Seifer, you didn't really think she had feelings for _you_, did you? You're in over your head." 

His words were like a lighter dropped into a bucket of gasoline. Seifer's eyes flashed, and he raised Hyperion just slightly, prepared himself to attack at the next moment. He snarled, "No, I think you are. Do you have any idea who you're messing with?" 

"I know who you are. You're the Sorceress Knight. So does Selphie. She knows firsthand how _ruthless_ you are." 

Anger hit him like Mike Tyson, and in seconds, he was holding Pilot up by his collar, his face very close to his. 

"Would you like to?" Seifer asked. "Learn firsthand how ruthless I can be?" 

For the first time, Pilot's eyes showed fear. _Fuckin' coward..._"Fuck you, Shaden," Seifer hissed. He dropped him. Pilot fell, lost his balance and landed on his rear. Seifer stalked away, and took his pent up anger out on an unsuspecting Thrustaevis. 

~©~ 

WITH THE MISSION COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY, Seifer was hoping he had SeeD in the bag. His only obstacle was Pilot. And as he was glaring at him through the corners of his eyes, his anger only permitted him to think of one way to deal with his obstacle. Seifer's hand tightened around Hyperion, and he begged Hyne for some willpower, just a little, too keep him from slicing up the pudgy bastard and- 

**Willpower**...He inhaled and exhaled deeply, getting a look from Quistis. He glared, and she smiled at him. The act agitated him, and he decided to stare at a spot on the wall in the transport car. His jade eyes did not move from that spot all the way back to Balamb Garden. 

When the car stopped in the Parking Lot, Seifer practically dived out of the car, feeling suffocated by then. He was suprised when he nearly tackled Selphie. 

"Whoa! Hey, buddy!" she exclaimed. "I know you were _dying_ to see me, but control yourself!" She wrapped her arms around his neck. "So how'd ya do?" 

Seifer shrugged. "There was...a little trouble. Nothing I couldn't handle, though," he said loudly. 

"So you're gonna make SeeD then? 'Cause I would _die_ if you didn't!" Selphie replied dramatically. Just then, Pilot stepped out of the car. 

"Selphie, hey!" he said. He waved. Selphie smiled at Seifer, winked and bounded off after Pilot. She jumped onto him, causing him to nearly fall over. "How've you been?" 

"Just wonderful. Waiting for you and Seifer to finish up your exams. So, _captain,_ you gonna give my buddy a good report? 'Cause I might never forgive you if you didn't!" she said, jokingly. Pilot smiled at her. 

"We'll see about that," he said, and Seifer found it strangely menacing. 

~©~ 

THREE AND A HALF HOURS later saw Seifer sitting in his dorm, staring at himself in the full body mirror. It wasn't a matter of vanity, rather he wanted to look good for Cid's introduction speech. 

That is, if he was present for Cid's introduction speech. 

Those three and a half long hours had seemed like an eternity to Seifer. He spent it waiting, scratching his head and pacing, waiting, being nervous, and waiting some more. He hadn't seen Selphie. She was probably off, singing inspirational songs with Pilot, or something soothing to the soul like that. The thought agitated him. Pilot was hooked on Selphie, it was obvious, but he'd gone too far at the SeeD exam. The 'accident' was not an accident, it was an attempt on his life. Seifer wasn't worried for himself- he could _deal_ with Pilot- but what about Selphie? Between thinking of Selphie's safety and the outcome of his SeeD exam, Seifer was a wreck. On the inside, of course. Outside, he looked like the cocky guy he normally was. On his way to his dorm, Logue even commented that he looked composed. Seifer had smirked at him. 

And then came the call. 

"Will Christine Devonair, Shawna Hulet, Price Lacon, Chance Pendragon, Logue Quelm and Pilot Shaden report to the Headmaster's office?" 

His heart sank, a thousand miles and more. Seifer felt sick, and he was on his way to puke in his toilet when the voice came back over the system. 

"Excuse me? Huh...? W- Okay! Will Seifer Almasy please report to the Headmaster's office as well? Seifer Almasy to the Headmaster's office." 

Seifer was stuck between being incredibly excited, nervous, half-scared shitless, insanely happy and anxious all at once. His myriad of emotions exploded into one great big exclamation that was probably heard a mile down. 

"HELLLLLL YEEEAAAAHHH!" He stopped himself, thinking that he might turn out like Zell if this kept up. Seifer straightened his trench and adjusted his vest. More than ever, he wished he had his uniform. He opened the dorm door and walked out. Something small and slightly bony attacked him, and the only thing Seifer could think was _Shit, I finally make SeeD and I get killed by a spider monkey._ And then he realized it was Selphie. 

"YOU MADE IT!" she shouted, jumping up and down, her arms still locked around him. 

Seifer struggled to shrug her off. "Of course I did. Did you doubt me?" 

"Never. Let's walk," she said. They started down the hall, and she asked, "How does it feel, SeeD?" 

Seifer chuckled. "Ahh...It feels good." 

"Of course it does! You're definitely gonna be at the party, right?" Selphie quizzed. 

He began to shake his head- he hadn't intended on going. 

"No- you can't say no, no! You're coming! I have to see you in your uniform!" 

They arrived at the elevator and Seifer shrugged. "I'll think about it." 

"No, you'll be there! Or I'm gonna kick your bum!" She stuck her tongue out at him. Seifer faked a grab at it, and she snapped backwards. His rich laugh filled the area, just as the elevator was closing. Selphie shouted after him, "That's not funny, mister!" 

The doors closed, and Seifer was alone. The higher the elevator went, the worse is nervousness got. He checked his reflection in the doors, just as they pulled apart. He stepped out. The other new SeeDs were waiting nervously outside Cid's office. Pilot was leaning against the double doors, a hand on his chin and a complacent smile on his face. He gave Seifer a wicked grin. Seifer wanted more than ever to show Hyperion's sharper edge...but the doors opened(Pilot got pushed over), and two robed staff members beckoned for the candidates to enter. Chin in the air, Seifer walked calmly into the office... 

~©~ 

HE WALKED OUT OF THE Headmaster's office smirking, and he owned the world. Seifer Almasy was finally and officially a SeeD. 

~©~ 

"HEY STUD," SAID A CHEERY voice from behind him. Selphie came up beside him and bumped his hip playfully with hers. "You look cute in your uniform." 

Seifer was going to reply with something like "I was thinking something more along the lines of unbearably sexy" but he was too stunned, too utterly amazed for words. 

Selphie was clothed in a loose dress that was fitted around the waist and made of a very clingy material. Besides being low cut, it had thin straps. Her had been straightened and slightly curled inwards. In short, Seifer thought she looked beautiful. He always knew Selphie had a nice body, but he hadn't ever thought of her as _beautiful._ He wondered how he had missed it- those twinkling green eyes, full lips and wonderfully rosy cheeks. 

"You look...beautiful," he said honestly. 

She smiled at him. "Sorry, it's a habit. Since I'm _so_ beautiful, you're gonna ask me to dance, right?" 

He smirked. "I'd be an idiot if I didn't." 

"Too late!" Selphie exclaimed, as she grabbed his arm and dragged him onto the dancefloor. He put his arm around her waist and crushed her body to his. He lowered his lips to her ears. 

"Selphie, I have a confession to make." 

"My flawless beauty had enchanted you and now you're madly in love with me?" she asked, her eyes twinkling. 

He chuckled, "I couldn't dance to save my life." 

Selphie looked up at him. "You're joking." But she looked into his eyes, and she saw that he wasn't. She giggled in his arms. 

Seifer was entranced, embarrassed and just a little angry all at once. Angry because she laughed, and embarrassed because she had reason to. Seifer was entranced, though, because Selphie _was_ flawlessly beautiful, with her head thrown back, her shoulders shaking lightly and her lips parted and turned up into a smile. 

"Hey," he growled playfully, once he was able to function again, "you're making me look like an idiot." 

She retorted, "I already said- it's too late for that! Okay, Seifer! I, Selphie Tilmitt, am your new dance instructor-" 

"Hyne..." 

"Now, put your left arm here, and your right arm there," she coached. The position was hardly intimate- Seifer didn't like it. He put both hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him. 

"I kind of like this..." he whispered. 

Blushing immensely, Selphie returned his hands to their proper positions. She sighed. 

"I wonder how Quisty ever managed to put up with you," she said. "Okay-dokay! Step left...like so...step back...forward...right...Oooh, good! Yeah, like that. Okay, left...forward...back...right- ouch!" He stepped on her foot. "That's okay...Okies, now forward...Yeah, yeah! Like that!" 

He stepped on her toes. Again. And again. And _again._ She wasn't frustrated at all- she found the situation extremely hilarious. Seifer, though, was getting cranky. He complained through the whole song. 

"Selphie," he growled, "I can't do this. I couldn't dance-" 

"To save your life, I know, I know! But one day, Sorceress Ultimecia might return and threaten to kill you unless you dance with her. What would you do then? What would _I_ do without you?" she asked, half-kidding, half-not. 

Seifer flashed her a grin. _If Plane Guy could hear Selphie now..._he thought. Feeling triumphant, he gave the simple step another shot. Selphie noticed that he _was_ indeed trying. She was pleased, and put both her arms around his neck. He smirked at her, put his hands on her hips. 

"All women succumb to the famous Almasy charm," he said. 

She rolled her eyes and laid her head on his chest. Suddenly, she gasped. 

"Hmm?" 

"Seifer..." she said weakly, "I...I can...I can feel your heartbeat." 

"That's a good thing, generally." 

"I know, but...I...nevermind," she sighed. They swayed together for a while, absorbing the music and each other. 

The song switched to a tango, and Selphie felt a tap on her shoulder. Pilot. 

"May I?" he asked politely. Selphie smiled at him. 

"No-" Seifer protested. 

Selphie glared. "You tango? Wow!" 

Pilot literally pulled Selphie away from Seifer. She looked back at him apologetically and was about to say something, but Pilot cut her off. Seifer stood, looking helplessly after them. In seconds, Pilot had her giggling and blushing like a schoolgirl. Seifer suddenly felt ridiculous, and he left the ballroom for the balcony. 

A glass of sparkling wine in his hand, he leaned over the rail and let the breeze cool his temper off a little. He swirled the clear liquid around in the glass. 

"It seems I've come down with a case of deja vu," said a voice. He half turned. 

"Hello, Instructor," he said. "What are you talking about?" 

Leaning over the rail as well, Quistis shrugged. She put a delicate hand over her mouth and giggled a bit. 

"Oh...nothing. Just, last year...well, weren't you there? Didn't you see the whole Squall meets Rinoa act?" 

Seifer frowned. "I heard they danced." 

"Was that jealousy I heard?" 

"No...More, curiosity. I have no idea where you're going with this." 

"Isn't it obvious?" Quistis asked, turning halfway to him. He shook his head. "Seifer! Are you _that_ blind. Selphie- hello!" 

"We're not a couple," he growled lightly. "She's busy with Plane Guy." 

Quistis put her lips to his ear. 

"Then go _get_ her," she whispered simply. And she walked away. 

"Quistis-" 

"Hmm?" 

"Thank...you," Seifer said awkwardly. She smiled. 

~©~ 

HE WALKED BACK INTO THE ballroom and searched around for Selphie. She was patting Zell on the back. Seifer guessed he had choked on another hotdog. It seemed he was prone to that. Seifer walked purposefully to the table, smiled at Selphie. 

"Hey Seifer," she said. "Just saving Zell's life." 

"Thanks..." Zell croaked, his voice raspy. He pounded on his chest. 

"What happened to Plane Guy?" Seifer quizzed. 

Selphie's eyes went big. She hid behind Seifer's back and moved him so he was facing the dancefloor, and she was behind him. 

"I'm trying to escape from him..." she whispered. "He keeps wanting to dance...but I'm so dizzy from all his spinning. Did you know he took dance lessons when he was a kid? I didn't..." 

He saw an opportunity and turned around to face her. 

"Why don't I walk you to your dorm?" Seifer asked innocently. 

She looked at him skeptically, narrowing her eyes. "Hmm...okay. Just hide me!" 

Together, they walked out of the ballroom. They ducked around the halls, and Selphie began humming the _Mission Impossible_ theme song. Seifer smirked as she held up an imaginary gun. 

"Cover me!" she whispered. He expected for her to do a ninja dive roll any minute now. They arrived at her dorm, and Selphie turned to face him. She gave him a nice, long once over, and he grinned at her. 

"You _do_ look good in your SeeD uniform. You should wear it more often," Selphie declared. She began to turn to her dorm, but Seifer caught her chin gently in his hands, closed his eyes, and leaned over her. 

Just as their lips were coming together, Selphie asked, "You're going to kiss me, aren't you?" 

Their lips were brushing together as he replied, "That's the basic idea..." 

Selphie ignored the pleasant tingling that was everywhere. She said, "And if I resist?" 

He chuckled and pulled away from her. His eyes glinting devilishly, he said, "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want this." 

Selphie stammered, "Hey! Well- I- You're so..._lapdog!_" She swung her arm around his neck, brought his lips down to meet hers and crushed herself against him. 

In one moment driven purely by desire, Seifer experienced perfect heaven. Gone was his messed up past, his worries, his hidden insecurities. Just then, all he knew was Selphie, and their wonderful, wonderful moment. He slipped his hands around her waist, just as she pulled her lips off of his. He put his forehead down to hers, and she breathed for a minute. 

"How was I?" she squeaked. 

Seifer placed a kiss on her jaw..."Perfect," he muttered...her neck...her shoulders... 

She put her hand to his chest and pushed gently. "You better go," Selphie managed evenly. 

He smirked regretfully at her. Seifer bent over her and placed a soft, barely-there butterfly kiss on her cheek. 

"'Night, Sefie." 

She smiled at him and waved, thinking that at any given moment she might fall to the ground because of her weak little knees. He disappeared around a corner, and Selphie was breathless. 

~©~ 

NOTE: Okay, lots of things to say...first of all...I'm nervous about this chapter, just like ALL the others. Chapter Six was a big success- 18 reviews, I think- and I'm just hoping this one lives up to expectations. Also, this was kind of a turning point. I'm an extremely hopeless romantic- expect sappiness. Though I'll try to keep it at reasonable levels. ^_^ AND- sorry for the long time no update! School started last Monday, and I've been so bogged down with homework, and forms, and all that preliminary crap! Ech, it all sucks! Since I've got school and homework, expect longer periods inbetween updates v_v. I WON'T ever stop updating this fic, unless I lose interest in it, but...gosh, I love Selphie x Seifer so much, how could I ever get bored with it? Seriously, sometimes I surprise myself... 

I'd like to give huge shoutouts to a lot of people! 

First and foremost, mercurymari83, thank you so much! Your reviews are helping me tremendously, and they also gave me a much needed confidence boost! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! *takes deep breath* Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! 

To Saphire-in-the-mist and Dalpal - I'm so GLAD you guys think that the Selphie x Seifer pairing can work! One by one, I'll convert you all! MUAHAHAHAHA! -ahem- Sorry...I have a confession to make to you, too...(At heart, Seiftis will always be my favorite pairing.) *GASP* *dodges things* 

To everyone else who reviewed- I love you guys! A good review on a bad day really turns things around, and I'm going to make a point to go and read all your stuff and return the favor once I'm through with Gummybears! 

To those who stuck Gummybears on their favorites list- Could you flatter me any more?!?! I nearly cried when I found _Gummybears_ on a few favorites lists! Thank you so, so, so, so much for your support. You have NO idea what it means to me. I'm working really hard to live up to expectations, and it's all for you guys!! 


	8. Mission Sucks, Too

**Gummybears**  
By: Southwest Eggroll 

_Chapter Eight: Mission Sucks, Too_

~©~ 

I am the man of constant sorrow,  
I've seen trouble all my days.  


~©~ 

SEIFER HAD BEEN A SEED for less than a week when he got called down to the office during the middle of a class. He hoped he had a mission. An interesting one. Because _nothing_ of any interest had gone on since he became part of SeeD. SeeDs were not required to take classes- they could live as bums at Garden so long as they completed their missions- but they could if they wanted to. Seifer had opted not to take classes at all, but within the first two days, the boredom got to him, and he found himself sneaking into Quistis's classes. 

And Selphie had been avoiding him. He'd seen so little of her over the week it offended him. He thought maybe the kiss had gone too far- but he _knew_ she enjoyed it. Heck, she _started_ the thing. Seifer's hands clenched involuntarily into fists. The few times he _had_ seen her, she'd been with _him._ _Plane Guy._

Maybe it was just the fact that Pilot had tried to _kill_ Seifer, but Seifer absolutely detested Pilot. Seeing him with Selphie was infuriating. And she laughed- oh, she _laughed_, like if she didn't laugh, she'd suffocate or something. Watching her giggle and blush and smile at Pilot like she was five made Seifer so mad, he felt like he would blow up any minute...And Pilot couldn't be _that_ funny, could he? 

He stepped into the elevator, turned and caught his reflection in the steel doors. He looked mad. Seifer _was_ mad. Because Pilot and Selphie weren't right. As Seifer thought about it, _he_ and Selphie weren't quite right for each other either, but still. Pilot and Selphie did not go, did not compute in his head. Seifer closed his eyes and made himself calm down. Besides, Selphie was just another woman. 

_Just another woman._

_**Just another woman.**_

_**Just another woman.**_

He was only trying to get into her pants, and he was getting darn close. 

_If it weren't for_ Pilot _I'd've done it by now..._he thought bitterly. Seifer stepped out of the elevator. Cid, Selphie and Pilot were waiting just outside the Headmaster's office, presumably for him. Pilot looked perturbed, Selphie was seeping excitement, and Cid looked...like he always did. 

"Ahh! Mr. Almasy," Cid said, in a business-like tone, "we've been waiting for you! It's about your first mission! An hour or so ago, I got a call from Mayor Dobe, of Fisherman's Horizon. It seems that there's a small rebel uprising taking place just west of the city. Small group, but they're starting fights with the local kids. Mayor Dobe's peace talks just...aren't working, and he's gotten desperate. He's called on us as a last resort. But they're short on cash. You three are in charge of the Garden Festival, correct? Well- I cut a deal with them. You three take care of the rebels, and bring back a half-dozen mechanics to work on your stage. They'll rework the lights, build the stage- you know. Sound good?" 

_No wonder why Selphie looks like she's going to bust._ "Yes, sir. When do we depart?" he asked. 

"You'll leave as soon as Mr. Dincht gets the Ragnarok ready," he said. "I'm appointing Selphie squad leader, as she is senior to the both of you. Pilot, Seifer- your job is to support Selphie to your fullest and follow any orders she gives you. Got it?" 

Selphie, Pilot and Seifer gave Cid the SeeD salute, just as Zell entered, looking pumped. 

"The Ragnarok is ready, uh, sir," Zell said. 

~©~ 

Zell hopped into the pilot's seat and bounced in it a few times. He put his hands around the wheel and clicked the button that turned on the intercom. 

"This is Captain Zell Dincht speaking, and thank you for choosing Dincht airlines." 

"Chickenwuss, we're in the same room-" 

"So sit tight while I rev this baby up!" 

"-you don't need to use the intercom," Seifer pointed out. 

"Oh...uh. Right," Zell said. He clicked the button again, and said in a loud voice, "So one o' you guys can sit here with me, and whoever's left can just sit in the passenger room, alright?" 

Pilot, Selphie and Seifer blinked at each other. Pilot smirked. 

"Selphie, walk you down to the passenger room?" he asked. Pilot offered her his arm. 

She smiled at him. "You're such a gentleman. Of course. C'ya, you guys!" 

Arm in arm, Selphie and Pilot took the elevator down. Seifer turned, got into his seat and strapped himself in. Zell turned on the intercom, looking like a kid as he did so. 

"You guys tied down yet?" 

"Yep!" came the cheery reply. "Hey, no tickling, buddy-" Selphie erupted into a fit of giggles, no doubt caused by Pilot. Seifer gripped the armrests. Just the thought of Pilot touching Selphie made him sick. Angry. Murderous, maybe. Seifer allowed a smirk to grace his feature. 

"Man, I can't wait to fly this thing," Zell said excitedly. He put his seat belt on a flipped a few switches. The Ragnarok gave a roar as the engines fired up. 

"That's wonderful, Chickenwuss," Seifer said lamely. 

"Hey man, what's _your_ problem, huh?" 

"None of your business," he bit back. 

"Tch, whatever...you're just like Squall." 

"Squall, huh? How is the Great and Divine Commander these days?" Seifer quizzed. 

Zell shrugged. "Busy, you know how it goes. He deals with a lot of paperwork, and I don't think he likes it all that much. Tch, _I_ wouldn't want to be commander..." 

"That's because you're a-" 

"_Don't. Say it_," Zell hissed. He crossed his arms and sat back. The Ragnarok lifted into the air slowly, then accelerated forward. 

Seifer smirked. "This is what you call _flying?_ Wuss..." 

"Look, you and I are stuck together for the next hour. Can you at least try to be cool?" 

Shrugging his shoulders, Seifer replied, "If you say so, Chickenwuss." 

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Zell shouted, leaning out of his chair. "Gee wiz, man, don't take it out on my just because Selphie and Pilot are together." 

"What? What the _fuck_ are you talking about?" Seifer asked. 

Suddenly, Zell smiled sheepishly. "Nothin', man. So, do you like Ruby Dragon? I kind of like their music. Gotta punk rock vibe to it-" 

"I won't ask again, chicken, what the heck are you talking about?" He gave Zell a look that would've killed him if it were possible. 

"N-nothing, I didn't say nothing." 

"Chicken..." 

"Man...If I tell ya, you promise you want say jack to Quisty?" 

"No." 

"But-" 

"If you don't, I'll slice you in two. And you know I'm completely capable of what I say I'll do." 

Zell adjusted his collar. "Well...um...she mentioned that you, uh, might have a 'thing' for, uh, Selphie, and since..." 

Seifer chuckled. He leaned back in his chair. 

"So it's true?!" Zell asked. 

The blonde man smirked and looked at Zell. "A 'thing', huh? I guess you could call it that." 

"MAN! I _knew_ you were spending way too much time on the Garden Festival. Tch, should've known..." 

"Look, Chickenwuss, you breathe a word of this to Selphie, I'm going to run Hyperion through your stomach. Got it?" 

"Whatever. But now I've got something to say to you." 

"Oh really? What's that, Zell?" 

Zell tilted his chin up and fixed Seifer with an intense look. "You hurt her, I hurt you. I don't care what the fuck you think you're gonna do to me with Hyperion." His lips fell into a not-nice smile. "Got it?" 

Seifer was slightly unnerved by the edgy iciness in Zell's tone. He nodded, and then he turned his body forward. Zell flipped a few switches and a punk rock song began playing loudly around him. And he was banging imaginary drumsticks on the control panel. Seifer couldn't believe how quickly that transformation had taken place. One minute, Zell was a Chickenwuss, the next minute, a force to be reckoned with, and now, he looked like a 13 year old kid. Seifer shook his head and looked out the window of the cockpit. It was going to be a long ride, and an even longer mission. 

~©~ 

THEY ARRIVED IN FISHERMAN'S HORIZON not much longer than an hour later. Selphie was in the passenger room, with Pilot. It had gotten a little stuffy during the ride, and they were both sitting in their seats next to each other. When the Ragnarok landed, it gave a little jolt. Zell's voice came over the intercom. "We're in Fisherman's Horizon, folks!" 

Selphie stood up and stretched her arms and legs. As she did, a small squeal escaped her lips, and Pilot laughed. 

"You're so cute," he commented quietly. 

"Tee-hee, thanks! Let's get goin', shall we?" she replied. 

Pilot shrugged. "They'll come down and get us." 

"I understand. I'm so glamorously gorgeous and insanely funny that you want to have me all to yourself, right?" Selphie teased. She was completely kidding. 

"Well, yes," came the reply. 

Selphie's eyes went big, and her face was overcome with heat. "Oh...I was...I was kidding but, er....thanks." 

She sat back down in the chair beside him, feeling unbelievably uncomfortable. The room around them fell silent. Pilot gave a quiet chuckle, and he put his hand over Selphie's. 

"When I told you that, I meant it...but I didn't want for you to be uncomfortable around me. It's just that I think you're the most wonderful person I've ever met, and I just might be falling in love with you." 

_Uh...oh..._ "Pilot, I-" 

"It's okay...I know what you're gonna say. But I'll wait," he said, just as he placed a small kiss on her cheek. Selphie smiled at him. 

_If a guy sweeter than Pilot exists, I think I'll eat my nunchaku._ Selphie sighed and replied, "Thank you." 

"Hey, lovebirds," said a deep voice. Selphie turned around. Seifer was leaning on the inside of the door, wearing a smirk on his face. "As much as I'd hate to interrupt your romantic moment, we've got a mission." 

Selphie scowled at Seifer. "Jerk..." 

Pilot stood up and nodded at Seifer. "Then what're you waiting for?" 

~©~ 

FISHERMAN'S HORIZON WAS FOGGY AND cold then, and Selphie felt the air bite at her the minute she stepped off the Ragnarok. 

"Geez, it's freezing superly..." she commented. It wasn't five seconds later that Pilot was taking off his jacket and throwing it around Selphie. She pulled the jacket tighter around her, breathing in Pilot's...um...well, it was an extremely clean jacket, and it really just smelled like laundry detergent. She was kind of disappointed. In every romance novel she'd ever read, the hero threw his jacket over the heroine, and the heroine snuggled into it and breathed in the hero's unique scent. She shrugged and said, "Thanks, Pilot." 

"So where to, _captain?_" Seifer said, giving Selphie a very pointed look. 

"West of the city! That's where the little uprising is taking place!" she said, pointing 'onward'. 

"Shouldn't we let Mayor Dobe know we're here?" Pilot asked. 

Selphie shrugged. "Naah...I'm ready to kick some rebel bum! Let's go!" 

~©~ 

SEIFER WAS CROUCHED UNCOMFORTABLY IN a few bushes. Selphie and Pilot were next to him, looking through the thicket. From their viewpoint, they could see that a band of about six or seven brigands were crowded around the remains of a campfire. They weren't armed at all- Selphie suspected they were loaded with GFs. Pilot was scratching his ankle. He lost his balance and fell over. Seifer snorted, and Selphie elbowed him. 

"So what do you think?" Pilot whispered, once he'd gotten back into his crouching position. 

"What kind of a question is that?" Seifer asked. 

"What do you mean what kind of a question is that?" Pilot hissed back, quick fury underlining his words. 

"I mean-" 

"Shut up, both of you!" Selphie whispered loudly as she could. She gave a pointed look to Seifer before continuing. "I _think_...we'll be able to take them. By the looks of it, none of them are very strong. I could probably take two on my own. We've got the element of surprise on our side, so we can cast Silence on them before they realize anything's wrong. Hmm...This place is flooded with monsters. Even the occasional Malboro, so they might have Silence junctioned to their Status-Defense...but we'll have to take that chance. Ready, guys?" 

Seifer blinked at Selphie. That was an incredibly uncharacteristic monologue. She didn't even _look_ like the normal Selphie anymore. She look alert, incredibly professional and calm. Seifer shrugged and nodded, while Pilot said, "Okay". 

"On three then..." 

"Three!" Seifer shouted, lunging out of his hiding position, already shouting, "Silence!" 

"Seifer!" Selphie cried, getting up. Pilot followed, mumbling something about disobedience. Selphie watched as Seifer quickly did away with one of the brigands. He was incredibly quick. As much as she wished she could watch, Selphie tore her eyes away from Seifer so she could cast Cerberus on the three. Pilot was engaged in a rather slow moving fight with another guy- he seemed almost lazy. Like Zell, Pilot fought with his fists. Selphie thought that was odd, since he didn't seem to have the build of a martial artist. With Cerberus cast, Selphie launched into battle. 

To her left, two of the rebels were pouncing on Seifer. He was doing a fantastic job of handling them, but Selphie swung her nunchaku and got one on the head. He gave a little noise before falling to the ground. Short one man, the other rebel panicked, and that gave Seifer the opportunity to thwack him with the flat side of Hyperion. His head jerked to the side and he fell to the ground beside his partner. 

"Nice work," Selphie cheered, she cast a Curaga on herself and Seifer. As she did, Seifer held up Hyperion, aimed at her and fired. 

Selphie gasped and doubled back, panic racing through her veins. _/He can't/Why/Does he hate me/Why is that painful/I don't want this/I never got to see Garden Festival/Seifer really isn't like this/I know it/What happened/He was being so perfect/And even now he's still smirking/_ Her mind was flooded with a dozen questions that seemed to step on each other. A fraction of a second later, she heard a grunt behind her, and suddenly she was aware of a small blade against her neck, held from behind her. 

Someone behind Selphie fell, and the blade slid against the side of her neck. She turned around slowly, her knees shaking. One of the rebels was lying behind, his arms sprawled out. In his hand was a small blade, and there was bullet in his forehead. Selphie took a deep breath, then her hands flew involuntarily to her neck. When he fell, the rebel's knife slid against her neck and made a small gash. Selphie looked down at her blood covered hands. She felt very weak...and then she was on her knees. The world around her was becoming blurry, and her mind was dissolving into clouds. 

Seifer was running to her, but he got stopped by another rebel. Selphie smiled at the scene- Seifer was a joy to watch when he was in battle. So completely focused and in his game. She looked around. Pilot was leaning over a body. Selphie wondered why he would do that, but she didn't question it. Instead, she passed out. 

~©~ 

SEIFER SAW SELPHIE GO DOWN and fury was pumping through his veins. One of the brigands had stopped him off on his way over, and he was making a somewhat formidable opponent. Seifer dived at him, slashing upwards and firing the gun at the same time. The rebel grunted but dodged the bullet the would've killed him. His heavy armor was now ragged, with cuts everywhere. Seifer took a half of a second to look for Pilot. He was exchanging lazy blows with a rebel. _If he would stop fucking around, he could be helping Selphie..._

"Fuck," Seifer hissed, as he drew back and cast a Firaga on the rebel. As he did so, he faked going left and instead went right, around the confused fighter. Seifer passed him up and ran to Selphie. She was on the floor and looking pale. He kneeled down and patted the side of her face. 

"Selphie...Selphie, talk to me. Say something, dammit! Hyne..." In a frenzy, Seifer searched around for Pilot again. He was leaning over a dead body, withdrawing a Pheonix Down. Seifer cursed aloud and cast Curaga on her. She moaned a little, and her eyes fluttered open. Then they closed again. He used another...and this time it had no effect. He tried an Esuna, and still nothing was working for him. He lifted her up into his arms. She was so light, and her skin was icy. Seifer worried that she might be dying. He pushed those thoughts out of his head as he set her down away from the battle. He was leaving a SeeD alone in battle, but he was sure Pilot would manage. And if he didn't...then Seifer would take the blame. But Selphie had to live. 

He looked over her, wishing he knew what was wrong. Seifer's mind was completely clouded by worry. He glanced down at himself and saw a large amount of blood on his trench coat. He looked down to Selphie, turned her head and saw a sizable wound in her neck. "Shit..." He pressed his hands over the gash and cast yet another Curaga. The wound began to close slowly, but she had lost so much blood! She looked deadly pale, and Seifer was terrified that he was too late. 

Sensing a presence coming up behind him, Seifer spun around, Hyperion extended. Pilot jumped back. 

"Hey, watch where you point that thing!" he hissed. 

"Watch where you walk, fuckhead," Seifer replied. "What happened to the rebels?" 

"They went running. Selphie?" 

"She woulda' been fine if you hadn't've been dancing with those damn-" 

"Oh, fuck _you_ Seifer. This was all your fuckin' fault-" 

"_My_ fault, huh? I guess it'll be my fault too when I rip your damn face off!" Seifer shouted, lunging forward. 

Just then, Selphie sat up. She moaned, "Oh...Don't fight..." 

In an instant, Seifer was back at her side, completely ignoring Pilot. He kneeled down beside her. She smiled weakly up at him. 

"You saved my life," she whispered. "You were so magnificent..." Along with her voice, her consciousness trailed off. 

~©~ 

SELPHIE AWOKE IN SMALL ROOM, probably a hotel. There were three beds, only one of which besides hers had been used. For a moment, she wondered exactly where she was. In a great big rush, the memory of the day before came back to her. The rebels...Seifer nearly killing her...Almost dying...Pilot and Seifer fighting...and then, Seifer leaning over her, the softest look she had ever seen in his eyes. 

_But where are they? I hope they haven't killed each other. I couldn't bare it...gummybears, I'm so sore._ She got up and stretched her limbs. Like always, Selphie let out an adorable little squeal. In need of a toothbrush, she went to the bathroom. She immediately knew that Pilot had been there. His hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste and floss were all sitting on the vanity, in size order with equal spacing between them. _So he's officially obsessive compulsive...Strange..._ Afraid that she would disrupt everything else, Selphie carefully extracted the toothpaste, squeezed some onto her finger and set the tube back in place. 

Someone came into the hotel room. Still a little shaky from yesterday's mission, Selphie turned around quickly and silently. With the bathroom door barely open, she peeked outside. Pilot was looking around the room. Selphie suddenly felt ridiculous with her finger in her mouth. She spit in the sink, rinsed her mouth and finger off, and looked over her appearance. _That's about right. I look like a girl who nearly died yesterday._

"Selphie?" came a call from the room. 

"In here!" she replied cheerily. She stepped out and waved to Pilot. He smiled at her. 

"Are you okay? I...I was worried about you yesterday." 

Selphie giggled, "No kidding! Me too...If it wasn't for Seif'..." 

Pilot shrugged. "If he hadn't've leapt into battle like a regular hero before he was supposed to, it might not have happened." 

"What are you saying, Pilot?" Selphie asked, slightly defensive. 

Just then, someone knocked on the door. The knocker seemed mad. Selphie giggled. 

"Five Gil says that's Seifer," she said, as she opened the door. Sure enough, Seifer was standing there. He looked Selphie up and down. 

"You okay?" he said breathlessly. 

"You betcha'," Selphie said. She put her hand over the side of her neck. "A tiny little cut can't take me down!" 

"Selphie, it wasn't a-" 

"She said she was fine. Have a little more faith, Seifer," Pilot scoffed. 

A nasty smile crossed Seifer's face. He nodded at Selphie and disappeared, his trench coat swirling dramatically behind him. 

~©~ 

****

Forgive me if this chapter is a complete let down, flame me if you like! I apologize for the wait, and my utter gratitude goes to all of the readers that have stuck with me! I promise that another gap like this will NEVER happen again. I'm really nervous about this chapter...it's more of a teaser, I guess. I'm glad some of you think Pilot should get his ass kicked....hehe...you guys just sit tight ^_^ 

Please review. It will mean the world! 

**Thank you again, Mari, for bringing up that annoying 'allowed' mistake. **


	9. Anything Can Happen

*chapters fixed, hopefully. 

1. Gummybears  
By: Southwest Eggroll 

_Chapter Nine: Anything Can Happen_

~©~ 

NEARLY A WEEK LATER, AMIDST all of the laziness that had fallen over Balamb Garden, Seifer was sitting in the Quad, staring up at the fantastic work the FH mechanics had already completed. The Garden Festival stage was looking great. Seifer thought it was a shame, that once the Festival was over, it would have to be torn down. Large streamers had been hung around the walls in light shades of pink, green and yellow. It all fit the time period Selphie had been aiming for perfectly. 

Selphie had been terse with Seifer since the mechanics from FH had stepped into the Quad for the very first time. Seifer thought maybe Garden Festival was too much for her to handle, because it seemed to be taking a lot out of her. She was first in the Quad before dawn and the last one to leave well after midnight. He wondered if she slept at all. Her cheery demeanor did not seem to waver, despite the barely-there rings that were forming under her eyes. And Pilot was following her around like a second shadow. To Seifer's delight, Selphie had been getting annoyed at him. 

"So...whatcha' think?" said a chipper voice from behind him. 

"Hm, it's lookin' good," Seifer told Selphie, not bothering to turn. 

"Yeah. Those FH mechanics are a Hyne-send. They're so very obedient!" Selphie exclaimed. 

"What's left? We done yet?" he said. 

Shaking her head violently, Selphie answered, "No way! I still need to run all this by Cid. The tickets are still in the process of being printed out. We'll have to sell them and pray we make some money we can keep for next year's Festival. Pilot and I made up a list of food we want the caterer to provide us with...but being the dork I am, I haven't even picked out a caterer yet." 

"Tickets and a caterer. That's it?" 

"Nope, and a band. _That's_ it," she declared. 

"That's not much," he pointed out. 

"I guess you're right. But...I want everything done perfectly. There are all sorts of problems that could happen! What if we don't find a caterer? What if the FH mechanics have to leave in the middle of building the stage? What if Cid decides it's a bad idea? What if we go to another war? What if there aren't enough tickets? What if-" 

"What if Sorceress Ultimecia returns and destroys Garden?" Seifer said sarcastically. 

"Exactly!" Selphie exclaimed. "Anything could happen, and if Garden Festival gets shut down this year for any reason...I'm going to _die!_" 

"Selphie, it's just a-" 

"No, see, that's where you're wrong!" Selphie said violently. "You don't seem to understand...Everyone in this place has underestimated me as much as it can possibly be done....Gummybears, almost everyone of my close friends refers to me as the 'ditzy, spunky brunette'. And yeah, I'm spunky. A-and I might be ditzy. And I'm definitely a brunette but that does _not_ mean I'm incapable of unscrewing a pickle jar lid! It's so super-duper-mega-sucky that everyone thinks of me as a little girl. And Garden Festival...If I make this one better than all the rest, they'll realize I'm not just an airhead!" 

Seifer's eyebrows rose, and he took a step back. Selphie's fists were clenched beside her, and tears were welling in her eyes. She seemed overcome with fury, probably a result of the fact that she hadn't been sleeping too much. He thought he should hug her, and he made a move toward her. Just then, the intercom came on. 

"Will Seifer Almasy please come to the Headmaster's Office? SeeD Seifer Almasy, to the Headmaster's office." 

He hesitated to leave. 

"Oh, just _go_," she said. 

~©~ 

"SIR, THIS IS INSANE," SEIFER said. 

"I understand that you like work with a bit more action, but Seifer, you're the only SeeD available for the job," Cid sighed. He looked apologetically at Seifer. "You _know_ I'd only call on you as a last resort." 

"Pilot Shaden. Same rank, and he's-" 

"He's in Timber, visiting his father," Cid declared. 

"Headmaster, this is a task-" 

"This is a task that, as a SeeD, you cannot escape! You will leave in one hour. You will take a car to the city of Balamb, and there you will stand guard at a court proceeding for one week-" 

"Logue Quelm-" 

"_Mr. Almasy!_ This is a direct order from your superior, and I think that a person with a reputation that precedes him like a sack of onions would do better to follow my instructions!" 

Biting his tongue to hold in a string of obscenities, Seifer nodded. He clenched his jaw and left the office quickly. He took long strides to be out of the 3rd floor, before he ran back in and choked Cid. The mission was...unbelievably lame, and Seifer was extremely over-qualified for it. His job was to stand guard during a court case in Balamb. It was something that a normal cop would do, but most definitely _not_ a SeeD. Seifer's fists clenched. Selphie was coming close to a breakdown, and he would be in Balamb, watching a bunch of lawyers do their thing. He punched a fist into his hand as he made way for the Quad. 

~©~ 

SELPHIE WAS SITTING IN A chair, looking every bit serene and calm. She was no longer on the verge of tears, but she wasn't the normal ball of energy either. Seifer pulled up a seat next to her and sat down in it. 

"Are you okay?" he said. 

She nodded a little. Her eyes seemed out of focus. He moved the chair so he was facing her and sat down in it. 

"No, you're not. What's the matter?" he asked. 

Shrugging, she leaned forward and studied her hands. "I don't know. I guess I haven't been sleeping much lately." 

"I can tell. Anything else?" 

"No, nothing important, anyway...It's just I want this to succeed _so badly_. If we have to cancel, or if it comes out mediocre, it's going to be just another Garden Festival. I'm still going to be That Sparkplug Who Helped Save The World." 

"That's a pretty grand title if you ask me," Seifer said. 

"Maybe...but I want something to call my own," Selphie whispered. "Instead of the That Sparkplug Who Helped Save The World, I want to be known as Selphie Tilmitt, Who Produced The Most Fantastic Garden Festival Ever! Gummybears, just to be remembered for anything. Like you- you're _famous_!" 

"Notorious," Seifer corrected. In a soft tone, he continued, "I'm leaving for a week." 

"A week?" Selphie squeaked. 

"Yeah, mission in Balamb. I tried to argue, but Cid..." 

"Hmm, it'll be boring without you." 

Seifer leaned back and tilted his chin up. "Of course it will be." 

She giggled and smiled a genuine smile. "You're so cocky." 

"I prefer 'confident', but whatever lifts your skirt..." 

"Cocky." 

"Ok, so I'm cocky," Seifer said. He shrugged. "You're hyper." 

"Cheerful." 

"Hyper." 

"Fine then. I'm cheerful, and you're confident. Deal?" Selphie said. She extended her hand. 

"Deal," he said. He grabbed her hand, pulled her to him, and put his lips down on hers. Seifer leaned forward, a moan rising from his throat. He moved his hand to gently cradle her face, and he stroked her jaw slowly. Whatever he'd expected, the kiss he shared with her then was ten times that, so much better than he could've imagined, and sweeter than he thought he deserved. It was Selphie who broke the kiss. She looked to the side. 

"You should really stop doing that, you know..." she said weakly. 

Seifer chuckled. She looked up at him, a sheepish smile on her face. 

"Can I ask you a very stupid question?" she said. 

"Yeah," he whispered. 

"Can you- hear my- can you hear my heart? Beating?" Selphie asked, a small grin on her face. 

He threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. Selphie pouted a little. 

"Don't laugh..." 

Trying to stop the mirth rising in his throat, Seifer said, "I just didn't expect that. Answer: no. I couldn't hear your heart beating. But was it?" 

Selphie let out a sigh of relief. "It was _pounding_. You do that to me." 

"Sorry, it's a habit," he replied cockily. 

She cleared her throat so as to hide the word, "COCKY!- ahem!..." She feigned coughing. 

Seifer smiled at her. Slowly, he asked, "Does this- are we...?" 

"Seifer Almasy to the Parking Lot," the intercom said. Seifer's jaw and fists clenched. Selphie began to giggle insanely. "Seifer Almasy, please report to the Parking Lot. Your transport has arrived." 

She put a hand on the chair nearby to steady herself, because she was giggling uncontrollably. 

Looking to the side, a smirk on his face, Seifer asked, "What's so funny?" 

She shook her head. "It's just that _stupid_ intercom! It ruins everything for you, doesn't it?" 

Seifer nodded. "Yeah. Think you can get it turned off for Garden Festival? I might try to kiss you again, and I wouldn't want any interruptions." 

Smiling, Selphie replied, "I'll see what I can do. Now- _go!_ You've got a mission, buddy!" 

~©~ 

THE MISSION COULD BE CALLED the most boring mission in SeeD's history. Seifer was leaning against a wall, next to a witness stand in the most ridiculous outfit you could imagine. He was dressed in a blue cop outfit right out of your stereotypical TV cop series. He was even equipped with a hat and a shiny badge that read "J. WALKER." Seifer prayed he wouldn't see anyone he knew...he cringed at the thought. Seifer hadn't been paying much attention to the case; in fact, he had been spacing out for a while. The only thing he was responsible for was swearing people in. There weren't even any "hostile witnesses" that he could arrest. 

~©~ 

THREE DAYS LATER, SELPHIE WAS humming in her shower. It was the same song she'd been singing since she first heard it. It had become her anthem, in a way. 

"IIIII'm gonna soak up the sun! I'm gonna tell everyooonne, toooo, liiiighteeeen up!" she belted loudly as she shut off the water. 

Selphie stepped out of her shower and wrapped a towel around her thin body. Shaking her bum to the beat of the song in her head, she opened the door. 

And Pilot was standing there, with his eyes closed, like he was asleep, almost. 

"Erm...Pilot?" Selphie whispered, forgetting that she was in a towel. 

His eyes snapped open, and he took a few steps back. Then he surveyed her body in such a way that made the hair on Selphie's neck stand. She crossed her arms over her chest and cleared her throat. Pilot seemed to realize she was expecting some kind of explanation. 

"Oh, right...Um...the caterer called? He can have the food...erm...on time," he stuttered. 

"Why didn't you knock?" Selphie asked. 

"Wh-when you didn't answer, I thought something might be wrong." 

"And you fell asleep in front of my bathroom?" 

Pilot was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. He was scratching his neck and trying not to look at Selphie. "Yeah...I'm going now.." 

Selphie nodded. "Yeah. Go." 

As he left, Selphie couldn't understand why he had creeped her out so much suddenly. It hit her how much she valued his help- but also how he had been following her around lately. Ever since Seifer had left on his mission, Pilot had been popping up absolutely _everywhere_. And now, he was even in her bedroom, "sleeping" outside of her bathroom. She shivered, but hoped it was just the chill air. 

~©~ 

HE HAD FALLEN ASLEEP. SEIFER had actually fallen asleep standing up. No one would have noticed, either, if that jury member hadn't needed to relieve herself. He might've gotten away with it then. But instead, he was sitting in a judge's office, held in contempt. He was engaged in a rather vicious staring contest between the elderly judge and himself. After five minutes of eyeballing each other, the judge finally spoke. 

"You- I know all about you. You're that- that Sorceress Knight. I recognize you. And now you've become a SeeD. Well, I would've sent you right back where you came from. _Hell_. But Cid's choice-" 

"-was a good one. Shall we get back to the case, _your Honor?_" 

The judge glared. "We shall...Mr...Walker," he said. "Get out there, young man." On the way out, the judge grumbled about bad publicity. 

Seifer walked back into the courtroom with a grin on his face- he glared at the juror, however- and went back to his spot in the corner. A few people giggled, but the judge silenced them with a bang of his gavel. He ordered the case back in session, and the lawyers began arguing at once. 

Deciding he should pay attention, so as not to fall asleep again, he examined the defendants and the plaintiff. The plaintiff was an old, fat, balding man who needed a shower. The defendants were a group of four, young men. Each was looking as bored as Seifer felt. He liked them, he decided. One tipped his chin at Seifer, who smirked back. 

Though Seifer'd been spaced out for the previous parts of the case, he'd discerned that the defendants were being sued for character defammation. The prosecution called witness "Adam LeBlanc" to the stand, at which point the old plaintiff rose from his seat and walked to the witness stand. Seifer swore him in, in the traditional fashion, as he tried to keep from making a face. LeBlanc smelled, and strongly so. 

"Now, now, Mr. LeBlanc," began his lawyer. "Would you please explain to us what exactly these...young men...have done to you." 

"They've spread nasteh rumah's about meh." 

"Nasty?" 

"Nasteh. Untruthful, too. They called me dirteh, fat, measleh scoundrel tha needed a bath." Seifer snorted then. "And they keyed meh car, too," LeBlanc testified. 

"Have you ever done anything to deserve such negative acts?" 

"Nevah. Ah's a good man, honestleh, yeh Honor. They's accused me of running over their kid sista, but tha was an accident, and the court of Balamb says so too!" 

A defendant, with brown hair spiked in his face, stood up. "You paid off that judge and you know it, bastard!" he shouted. His lawyer calmed him down. 

"Mr. Kincaid," the elderly judge said, "I'd advise you to keep your clients under control and refraid from using such language. At any rate, that case has already been tried, and that's not why we're here today." 

"See's? They'sa hatin' me fo' nothin'. Nothin' at all." 

The more Seifer heard, the more he detested LeBlanc. It was clear that he was lying- by the way he was smiling, Seifer guessed he probably did run over the defendant's kid sister, which was a very sad thing to think about. Seifer shrugged and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. 

"She wassa dern whore anyway," LeBlanc exclaimed, just loud enough for the defendants to hear. All at once, two of the defendants shot over the desk and at the witness stand. Seifer dived forward at them, but not before LeBlanc jumped over the rail and attacked the two younger men. Seifer frowned at the stupidity of the move; just one of the defendants could easily take him out. Seifer dived into the fight, feeling just a little heroic. While he was shoving one of the younger boys who was trying to throw a punch at one of the lawyers that had jumped in, he saw something flash out of the corner of his eye. The other young man had a knife. Seifer paused for a tenth of a second and made a quick decision. He leapt at the young man, wrapped his hand around his wrist and expertly took the knife out of his hands. Seifer turned to LeBlanc, who was putting up a surprisingly valiant fight against one of the other young men, and hit him forcefully on the head with his elbow. 

"Tha' wassa unfair..." he said, just before falling into unconsciousness. When LeBlanc went down, the fighting stopped abruptly. 

"Walker!" the old judge shouted. He was referring to Seifer. "You're not supposed to hit him. He was attacked! I'll place you--" 

"He had a knife, sir," Seifer lied, holding up the switchblade. "He would've killed the defendants if I hadn't've done something, your Honor." He gave a short glance to the stocky defendant who'd possessed the weapon. 

The judge peered over his podium at the knife, and then sat back. "Well, that's certainly against that law. Have this man taken into custody, Walker. No one brings a knife into my court. And we'll have to see about that other court ruling as well..." Seifer smirked as he lifted LeBlanc and took him away. 

The defendant smiled up at the judge. "What?" 

"If he had the gall to kill one of you without a thought, he might well run over a child," the judge said. "Can't be lenient on these law breakers! Nope, I can't stand anymore bad publicity." 

~©~ 

AFTER THE THE EVENT, THE judge announced that the trial would be postponed until a week later, and by then the real J. Walker would be back from his leave, so Seifer could go home if he wished. Seifer immediately took off to his hotel room. He felt in a rush to get home. 

_/...why, though?.../_

He packed his things as quickly as he could, not caring to fold any clothes. He ended up having to sit on his suitcase to get it to fit correctly. Seifer grabbed his suitcase and left the hotel room swiftly. 

_/...you're in such a rush. how come?.../_

Seifer paid the lady on the way out, just as he heard someone call a familiar name. 

"Yo, Walker!" said the voice. 

Slightly irritated that people were still calling him Walker because of that blasted name tag, he turned around and frowned. They were the four defendants, the "leader" of which standing a few feet in front of the rest. 

"Hey, man, we just wanted to thank you for what you did back there," he said. 

"No problem, but the name is Seifer. Wrong name tag." 

"Seifer, huh? We would've gone to jail if it weren't for you. Rollo over here doesn't think about things," he said. He gestured to the man who weilded the knife. "I'm Prado, this is Lotter and Levvey." 

"Rollo, Prado, Lotter and Levvey," Seifer repeated, a small grin creasing his lips. 

Prado shrugged. "Our dad was poetic. That's where we get the talent to write our lyrics." 

"You're in a band, then?" 

"Ruby Dragon, if you've heard of us," he said. 

Seifer smiled. "As a matter of fact, I have..." 

"Well, you look a little in a rush. We'll let you be on your way then, but listen man, if you ever need a favor, call me up." He deposited a small slip of paper into Seifer's palm, and shook his hand. 

Seifer thought for a moment. "A favor, huh? Now that you mention it..." 

~©~ 

**Just when you think a story is dead, the author pulls her last tricks out of her hat. Hi guys, it's good to be back. **

I really don't like this chapter, I think it's boring. But I think the next chapter makes up for it with all it's fluff and loveliness, so that's why I chose to release them together. ^_^ Read on.


	10. A Knight Like This

Gummybears  
By: Southwest Eggroll 

1. _Chapter Ten: A Night Like This_

~©~ 

_You give me the most gorgeous sleep, _

_That I've ever had. _

_And when it's really bad, _

_I guess it's not that bad._

--- 'Underneath It All' No Doubt 

~©~ 

AS HE RETURNED TO BALAMB, Seifer felt like he was on top of the world. He couldn't wait to give Selphie the good news- he'd found a band for Garden Festival. They promised they would perform as many songs as they could squish into the five hour party and even sign autographs afterward. He stuck his hand in his pocket and felt for the gummybears he'd bought for Selphie before he left. _Take that, Plane Guy,_ he thought devilishly. 

The weather had suddenly turned sour. It seemed that the never ending clouds that had loomed over Balamb for so long were moving to Garden along with Seifer. The sound of thunder and lightning was loud and frequent. 

He flipped on the radio, and was surprised to hear the DJ say, "And here's the new hit song by Ruby Dragon. They've been thrust to forefront of punk rock today, and this song has taken the country by storm. Here it goes!" Seifer listened to the song intently, and he found that he rather liked the beat and lyrics. 

When Garden came into view, he saw a tiny figure bouncing up and down. He turned down the radio and sped up the car. _Who would be outside on a night like this?_ A sudden bolt of lightning nearby punctuated his thought. As the car got closer, he began to realize that the girl was screaming-- it was _Selphie_. Bringing the car to full speed, he was to Selphie in a minute. 

She was soaked to the bone, but that didn't seem to daunt her. Instead, she continued screaming. 

"Stop! Stop it, I tell you!" she screamed at the sky. Seifer got out of the car and ran to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her, not failing to notice the tears mingled with rainwater on her face. 

"Selphie, what the hell are you doing?" he asked. 

"It will never work out," she said. "Garden Festival is just _not_ going to happen." 

"What happened?" Seifer demanded. 

"The lightning, Seifer. A bolt must've hit the circuit breaker, and it caused this big- big electrical surge in the Quad. The wires in the lights b-busted, and a now th-there's this big mess on the st-stage and there's no way I can clean it up, and where's P-Pilot when you actually need him and it's all b-been ruined!" she exclaimed angrily. 

"Selphie, it's okay," Seifer said soothingly. He put his hand on her face. "It's okay." 

Selphie's lip was quivering. "You know how bad I wanted this to happen..." 

"Yeah, I know. But come on, you're not going to give up just like that, are you? You saved the world from the most terrible sorceress, but you'll let lightning bring you down? Come on Selphie, you're stronger than that." 

"There's nothing...the stage is one big mess of fried metal. The lights are just...gone. Obliterated. Not there," she said. 

"We can get them back. There's still time," he said. 

Finally, with one last sigh, Selphie agreed, "You're right. You're always right. I'm just so frustrated." 

"I know you are, but let's get out of this rain," Seifer said. The transport car was forgotten, and they walked into Balamb Garden together. On the way, Seifer slipped his trench coat over Selphie. The wind was harsh, and he didn't know how long she'd been screaming at the elements. 

The trench coat was incredibly thick, and for the most part the inside was dry and warm, even though the outside was wet. Selphie wrapped it tigther around her, making an effort not to trip over it. She was engulfed by Seifer's scent, and she was suddenly moved. The perfect guy should smell wonderful. Seifer's coat did, which meant Seifer did, too. It was manly, musky, sexy and passion rolled into one, and though she wasn't sure, there was the smallest trace of...gummybears? Selphie felt around in his pockets. She was surprised to find a bag of gummybears there. 

"Ooooh!" she said. 

Seifer smirked at her. "You found my gummybears." 

"Yep. Can I have one- five- ten? Can I have ten?" She was already opening the package and withdrawing her favorite candy. 

"I guess I don't have much of a choice," he chuckled. Selphie devoured the treat as they walked into garden. "Let's go the the Quad. I want to see the damage." 

Selphie led him to the Quad. She let him in first, and he walked in calmly. The damage wasn't as bad as Selphie had made it seem. A part of the lighting structure was hanging down lower than it was supposed to be, and a beam that held up the roof had broken. 

"This is it?" Seifer said. "I can handle this." 

"It will take weeks." 

"Hours, if that," he said. Seifer was suddenly overwhelmed with a strong desire to help Selphie. He wanted to take back those tears he'd seen her shed earlier, and make everything work for her. 

_/...you really have lost it, seifer.../_

"There's no way..." Selphie whimpered. She looked at him sadly. 

Seifer put his hand to her chin. "Look at me and you. If you would've told me about I'd feel this way about anyone- _you_- I would've said the same thing. There's no way." He smirked at her, and his eyes grew dark. He brought his lips over hers so they brushed together as he added, "And here we are, about to engage in something wonderful..." 

Selphie was completely willing when Seifer closed the space between them and rained soft kisses all over her face. Her eyes, her nose, her cheeks- every part of her perfection. He realized how much he adored Selphie, and he kissed her lips with a passion he hoped conveyed the depth of his feeling. Selphie didn't fail to amaze him. She let out waves of pent up frustration on his mouth, and it was more satisfying than anything she'd ever felt. Hurt oozed out of her and vanished into nothing. She stopped the kiss only so she could lay her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. 

"Sefie..." 

"It would be so perfect," she whispered. "We could just stop time, and be frozen in this instant forever. Just you and me, and no one else..." She kissed Seifer on the cheek, having to hop up to do so. "Seifer?" 

"Sefie." 

"Keep me safe, okay?" she whispered. 

"Always," he replied. And he meant it. "Let's go to your room." 

"Seifer, I--" 

"I just want to walk you there. I've got stuff to finish up tonight, anyway," he responded quickly. 

She smiled at him. "Of course," she said. She looped her arm into his, and they walked out of the Quad together. They were silent the whole walk, yet the silence was comfortable. It amazed Seifer that Selphie stayed quiet, but then again, she was feeling incredilbly off. When they reached her room, he stood in front of her. He lifted a hand and put it on her chin. With his thumb, he gently stroked her lower lip. 

"Good night, Seifer," she said. Selphie unlocked the door and stepped inside. She gave Seifer a small wave and shut the door softly. 

She collapsed on the other side, sliding down with her back against the door. 

"Oh, Selphie...what are you doing?" she asked herself. "If you fall in love...then what? Then he'll get bored, and he'll eventually go after another girl." Just then, she realized he hadn't taken back his trench coat. Selphie settled into it, and let herself drift off, Seifer's masculine scent filling her dreams with wonderful, wonderful things... 

~©~ 

AT THE SAME MOMENT, SEIFER allowed himself to slump to the floor against Selphie's dorm. He sighed deeply, propped his knees up and dropped his head so his chin was touching his chest. 

"Seifer, what the hell are you getting yourself into?" he asked quietly. "Selphie isn't...she won't give it up easily. That's reason enough to quit." 

He knew he was lying to himself. He stopped wanting to get into Selphie's pants a long time ago; it had evolved into something much greater quickly. As a matter of fact, Seifer couldn't remember ever really declaring that screwing Selphie was his intention. Rather, he used it as an excuse when he felt he was getting to deep in it. Well, now he was so far in it he couldn't even use that anymore. It was too painfully obvious that he was very much in...No, Seifer wouldn't admit to anything just yet, he was too proud of his rogue-bachelor status. 

Seifer got up, and with his chin in the air, he made his way to the Quad. He had work to do. 

~©~ 

THE NEXT MORNING, SELPHIE AWOKE with a smile on her lips. She didn't want to wake up just yet, she was too content at the moment. Her body was a little hot because she'd spent the whole night wrapped in Seifer's trench coat, but it was certainly worth it. Selphie yawned and rolled over onto her stomach. She inhaled and exhaled slowly. Seifer's trench smelled too good. Selphie felt she could spend her life in it...maybe even with him. Little butterflies fluttered in her heart, and she hopped of her bed, deciding that daydreams could wait until later. 

Of course, as she skipped down the hall to the Quad twenty minutes later, she couldn't help but imagine..._Seifer likes me. I like Seifer. It makes sense that we should be together. But how come we're not? That Hyne-forsaken intercom. Seifer tried to ask me out...oh gummybears, it's not like this is a big deal anyway. I'm not...I'm not in_ love _with him. That would be..._strange. _I'm a strange person, but not that strange._ Her heart thudded in her chest. _Or am I? I'm just thinking about him, and there goes that blasted heart of me. I see your point, my heart! So maybe...maybe, maybe, just maybe I might, sort of, kind of in an off-the-wall, barely there, sort of way love Seifer._ Her eyes got big. 

"Ohmigosh," Selphie gasped. Her own thoughts astonished her. "I can't believe I just thought that. I can't believe I just--" She stopped, suddenly realizing that she had arrived in the Quad. She couldn't stop the blush that rose to her cheeks. "Oh. Hello, Seifer." He was standing in front of a repaired stage, looking absolutely triumphant with his hands on his hips. 

It was fixed- everything, the lights, the stage, the roof, was good as new. There was a smudge on his face, and his hair was mussed up. He obviously hadn't slept. Selphie's eyes, filled with utter gratitude, met his. He smirked at her, like it had all been nothing. 

Hyne, save me. I've just fallen in love, she thought. 

~©~ 

**Fluff-o-mania, huh? Hopefully this chapter made up for the previous one. I hope you guys liked this, that it wasn't too out of character or anything. I thought Seifer was acting a little too...soft...but I think it's fairly accurate, considering he's just about fallen in love with Selphie. **

Anyway, in chapter eight, I promised that there would never be another big gap, and well, there was a _huge_ one, so I'm not promising anything this time. I can hardly believe it, but Gummybears was started sometimes in June or July of 2002, nearly a year ago! It's really sad. But like I've said, I won't ever stop updating. I'll complete this story if it kills me, or if it takes me twenty years. In case you're wondering, I'm updating because it's Spring Break. I've actually had the time and will to write. I'm sorry about the spelling errors, I know there are some in there but I'm too groggy to fix. Please point out in reviews if ya find one, thanks. 

This chapter is dedicated to all those people who read this story a year ago, and are still taking the time to read the rest. 

Also, you guys should thank my buddy Nicole, who sort of "reminded" me of this story. 


	11. Of Exploding Cactaurs

**Gummybears  
**_By: SouthwestEggroll_

_Chapter Eleven: Of Exploding Cactaurs_

__

* * *

**Author's Note  
**Holy Hell. It has been a long time. I started Gummybears...Summer of 2002? And here we are, two years later, and I find this half-written on my laptop. Finishing it up was surprisingly easy...The ideas are still in my head.  
  
How on Earth do authors finish 25-chapter stories so quickly? Geeez, I'm shabby at this.  
  
Anyhow...I think I'll be continuing this. I'm not sure. You'd be surprised to know that I have a chapter towards the end (will probably be the 14th) and then an epilogue written. It's filling in the chapters in between I've got to work on. It shouldn't be too difficult...I'm good at bridge writing :) If I remember correctly, Gummybears should end with 16 chapters, including that epilogue.  
  
It's been so long, but I still love this story. Going back and reading my older fiction, all I can seem to see is plot holes and grammatical errors. But Gummybears was an incredibly joy to write and even after a hundred revisions, is still a joy to read. It's the one piece I'm still insanely proud of even after so long.  
  
**Chapter Eleven**  
Up until about ten minutes ago, Selphie had been somewhat oblivious about her feelings for a certain man. She knew she liked him, that was easy, but love was such a big, heavy word. Yet it clicked in her head. Selphie Tilmitt was in love with Seifer Almasy, and wasn't it ironic? Thinking back, Selphie wondered if she hadn't loved Seifer all along and just never acknowledged it. It felt that way, like she'd loved him forever but simply didn't have a word to describe what she felt.  
  
"Are you okay?" Seifer asked.  
  
She nodded absently. "Y-yeah. Um." Her lips moved as she tried to force words from her mouth, all in vain. Seifer gave her a quizzical glance as a he wiped a smudge off his chin.  
  
"Blah!" Selphie blurted out. "I-I'm feeling a million things and trying to put them into words, b-but I don't think there are words, s-so I don't know what else t-to say, but I think you kn-know-"  
  
Seifer grinned. "You're talkative when you're speechless."  
  
Still blinking at her finished stage in amazement, Selphie said, "Speechless! That's the word, I think."  
  
"Selphie, why are there-" a voice said.  
  
As Selphie turned, Seifer lifted his chin. Squall Leonhart froze at the sight of both of them. They'd been standing suspiciously close. Seifer looked like he hadn't slept, had no shirt, and Selphie was wearing his trench coat. He glared.  
  
"Not in the Quad guys, come on," he said.  
  
Seifer nearly fell down laughing, while Selphie's eyes widened painfully at the notion. Her face was as red as the crosses on Seifer's trench. Squall regarded them both with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"I-" Seifer attempted to explain, but he couldn't stop laughing if his life depended on it.  
  
Selphie put her hands on Squall's chest and began pushing him firmly out of the Quad, shaking her head fervently. "No, no, no, no!"  
  
When they were outside, Selphie said, "We weren't- we didn't- You pervert!"  
  
Squall rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Why are a bunch of a plastic Cactaurs sitting at the front gate?"  
  
She blinked densely in response, then it hit her.  
  
"They're here!" she shouted. She started to run, then paused. Shrugging off Seifer's coat, she handed it to Squall and asked, "Give this back to him, wouldja?" Waiting for an answer would have only slowed her down, and she took off at a sprint for the front gate.  
  
The Commander examined the thick trench coat in his hands. It was obviously well-worn, and Squall realized he'd almost never seen Seifer without it on. And yet Selphie had it?  
  
He'd known that Seifer had come back to Garden, but Squall had gone out of his way to avoid running into him. There wasn't any fear, just that Squall disliked confrontation. Especially with Seifer, as it was always just a game to him. Altercations between the two almost inevitably ended violently. But while Squall was utterly serious, Seifer was at all times joking. He gambled with his life, and he challenged his rivals simply for the rush a battle would bring. The brunette was certain that Seifer would never back down, never hold his tongue, even if he knew he would lose. Shaking his head, Squall decided that Seifer was too intense to contend with. He steeled himself and entered the Quad.  
  
Seifer was pulling a shirt over his body when he spotted Squall in his peripheral vision. He acted more calmly than he felt, as the situation was quickly getting awkward. It was common knowledge that Seifer and Squall had a rocky past, but their battle had already been fought. Squall had come out on top, and now Seifer was stuck. How could he act his normal smug self in front of Squall, Commander of the mighty SeeD force?  
  
"Selphie asked me to give this to you," Squall said, breaking the silence but definitely not the ice.  
  
Seifer raised an eyebrow, smirked at the coat and took it. "We weren't doing anything in here. I was up late fixing the stage, and it was hotter than a heater in here."  
  
Nodding, Squall said, "Whatever. I was joking anyway."  
  
The taller man snorted, his lips cracking into a slight grin. "This is new."  
  
He might have glared, but instead Squall asked, "So the rumors about you and Selphie- true?"  
  
"Depends," Seifer said with a shrug. He slipped his coat over his shoulders. "What rumors?"  
  
"You two are dating," he replied.  
  
"Dating? I..." His voice died in his throat as he searched for an answer. Of course they were dating. Well, they hadn't really gone on a date. But they'd done things that certainly constituted some sort of a relationship, right? Right?! Thinking about it, Seifer had done much more serious things with girls whose names he didn't know.  
  
Squall laughed at Seifer's confused expression, prompting a quizzical look from him.  
  
"This is new. I don't think I've ever seen you look less than confident before," Squall explained. He smirked, glad to have spit Seifer's own words back at him.  
  
Seifer snickered. "Selphie is much more terrifying than you are. You don't compare."  
  
Wincing, Squall said, "I wonder what the world would say if they found out you and I- the Commander of SeeD and the Sorceress' Knight- are scared shitless by two women. "  
  
"What's worse is that Rinoa and Selphie are harmless at first glance. No one would understand the fear they inspire." Seifer shuddered.  
  
"Help, help- HELP!!!" came a distressed yell from down the hall. Seifer jogged in the direction of the shouts, and Squall followed. As they exited the Quad, they were greeted by a tremendous burst of confetti and glitter. Shaking some irately out of his hair, Squall squinted as the debris fell.  
  
Selphie was sitting on her knees in the middle of the explosion, completely covered by gold and green glitter. She was spitting chunks of confetti out of her mouth and coughing violently.  
  
"Exploding Cacaturs," was all Selphie offered in explanation.  
  
Seifer and Squall looked at each other, then at the girl sitting in the middle of an exploded Cactaur. A second later, they were laughing together. Selphie watched them and smiled, more than a few of her fears about the two of them lifting. She'd known they didn't like each other, and she'd known they'd be tense. It was good, their laughing together. She also knew that this didn't mean everything was peachy now and they were going to start going on golfing trips together. But it meant they wouldn't rip each other's heads off after all, and that made her happy.  
  
Rising to her feet, Selphie said, "Are you going to sit there and laugh, or are you going to help me bring these babies in? Okay guys, it wasn't that funny." They kept laughing. "It's dead, it's been killed, you murdered it and it is no longer funny, so quit it and come help me! Heeeey, do you guys hear me? This is getting ridiculous..."

* * *

When Selphie finally calmed Seifer and Squall down, she was feeling a little picked on and snippy with them. To make it up to her, they offered to help her move the exploding Cactaurs. They were heavier than they looked, and both men were surprised Selphie managed to drag one to the Quad on her own. She walked with them on every trip, partially to keep them from each other and also to make sure they didn't ruin another Cactaur. They were expensive.  
  
"Be careful with that string," Selphie warned. "I pulled it on accident, and we all know what happened."  
  
After two dozen Cactaurs had been moved into the Quad, Selphie looked at them with a complacent beam on her face. They were big- almost as tall as Seifer was- and when you pulled on a special string, they exploded confetti and glitter. They were going to be placed randomly throughout the dance floor, and her members were going to set them off when the band started playing.  
  
The band.  
  
Selphie screamed.  
  
Seifer and Squall jumped back comically, and Squall would later swear that he'd never seen Seifer look more frightened.  
  
"What? What, what?!" Seifer demanded.  
  
Selphie looked at him with big eyes, tears forming in them. "I don't have a band!"  
  
Seifer smirked, getting ready to enjoy a triumphant moment- right when Pilot walked in, a similar expression on his own face.  
  
"Nothing to worry about, Selphie," he announced, walking toward them confidently. Seifer glared violently, putting his hand on the small of Selphie's back.  
  
She read that easily enough- Seifer was claiming her as his. In response to that, Selphie wasn't sure if she was feeling happy or rebellious. Instead of thinking about it, Selphie gave Pilot a wide grin.  
  
"Heeey, look who's back!" she said, jabbing him in the chest. "How's your dad?"  
  
"Great. I told him all about you- he said he'd be pleased to meet such a great girl one day."  
  
Laughing nervously, Selphie replied, "That's neato. Nice trip?"  
  
"Yeah, but more importantly- I got us a band!"  
  
Seifer crossed his arms and frowned, already knowing what to expect from Selphie. She hopped up and down a minute, then glomped Pilot gratefully. He smirked briefly at Seifer, then beamed down at Selphie, who was nearly squeezing him dead.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, calm down," he told her. "It's not a big deal. My dad knows one of the members' brothers. I mentioned we needed a band, and he made a call. The band is...Persephone?"  
  
"Wow!" Selphie exclaimed, emanating excitement. "I love them! Their music is awesome! Oh my Hyne, Pilot! You booked Persephone! OhHyneohHyneohHyne!"  
  
Squall watched the scene with an amused grin on his face. Seifer was glaring at a wall, Pilot was smiling like a kid with candy, and Selphie was practically dancing on her toes. He filled in a few holes and decided that Pilot must be competition for Seifer. Looked like he'd one-upped Seifer, too.  
  
"Guess we'll have two bands then," Seifer muttered acrimoniously.  
  
"Two?" Selphie said, blinking in confusion. She counted to one on her finger. "What...?"  
  
"In Balamb, I ran into a band called Ruby Dragon. They're coming here to perform for Garden Festival," he answered, still concentrating angrily on a wall.  
  
Selphie's lips rounded into a big 'O' shape.  
  
"Did you say Ruby Dragon?" Squall asked. When Seifer nodded, he chuckled. "That should be interesting."  
  
"Why?" Pilot asked, giving Seifer dirty, sidelong glances.  
  
"You three haven't been listening to the radio lately, then. The lead singers of Persephone and Ruby Dragon used to date. They broke up a month or two ago, and ever since, they've been insulting each other in songs. To have them perform on the same stage..." He grinned.  
  
"Oh, wow," Selphie said. "That will be interesting. We could have a Battle of the Bands!" She was jumping up and down again.  
  
Pilot turned to Seifer and raised a condescending eyebrow. "May the best band win."  
  
"I will," was the stony reply.

* * *

What was it about the Little Messenger Girl that brought such fiery emotions out of Seifer? He was pacing around his dorm, feeling like he'd died and gone to Bloody Hell. Angry, too. There was pain when he remembered the way she smiled at Plane Guy. And lately, Plane Guy had been different. A nasty, suspicious air was pulsing from him like a bad stench out of Zell's closet. It was unnerving for Seifer to see him look at Selphie the way he did, with something a little more than a crush behind his glassy blue eyes.  
  
Slamming his fist into the wall, Seifer's lips turned into a frown. How the hell did Plane Guy manage to book a band? Only cool people know bands. And he's a punk if I ever knew one....Shaking his head, he resolved on going to the Training Center. T-Rexaurs made for great catharses.  
  
**Author's Note  
**Haha, those sound like a paragraphs out of a slash story. -snicker- I should've inserted things like "...and Squall couldn't help but admire Seifer's perfect build...As he took his coat, their hands brushed together....Seifer wondered if Squall wore underwear beneath his trademark leather pants...Accidentally tripping over a toolbox on the floor, Squall lurched forward and landed right on top of Seifer, pinning him awkwardly to the ground."- Just to freak you lovelies out. Wouldn't that be a nastly little twist? An entire 10 chapters with nothing but Selphie/Seifer fluff, then to end up that Seifer is gay, confused and really in love with Squall. -dies laughing- Hmm...it's not too late...-evil look-  
  
On a slashy note, I opened up a slash fanfiction archive just over a week ago. Check it out? www.broken-epiphany.net /impulse.


	12. Garden Festival

I started playing Final Fantasy VIII again, and it occurred to me that I should at least make an attempt to complete this fic. I still like it, despite that fact that it was written something like four years ago. My writing style has changed a bit. The characterization will likely be a bit off, as well. I would appreciate any criticism you have to offer regarding newer chapters. However, please ignore the glaring plotholes. I don't know why I didn't notice them while I was writing it, but now there isn't a whole lot I can do about them without making changes to older chapters. I will likely never do that.

Anyway, please enjoy, and _please_ review!

©

"OH GOD! THE CACTAURS!" SELPHIE screamed, her chest heaving. She was hyperventilating again, for the third time in the past five hours. Seifer had been by her side the whole time, faithfully trying to calm her down while interpreting last minute orders for the mechanics from Fisherman's Horizon.

"_What_ about the cactaurs, Selphie? Just calm down, calm down," he said, grabbing her squarely by the shoulders.

"_What if they don't explode!"_ she asked morosely. She looked for all the world that this was the most awful thing that could happen.

Seifer couldn't help but drop his chin to his chest and chuckle. As soon as people began filling into the ornately decorated Quad, Selphie's paranoia skyrocketed, as though she expected another Sorceress War to erupt right in the middle of her Garden Festival.

"Everything. Is. Perfect," he told her firmly. Then, "Say it with me. Everything is perfect."

She calmed down visibly and, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip, aceded quietly, "Everything is..."

"Perrrrrfect," Seifer encouraged.

Selphie echoed reluctantly, "...Perfect."

With an emphatic nod, Seifer let go of her shoulders and rose to his full height. "Now are you going to freak out back here or do you want to go enjoy the damn Festival?"

She started to nod when the door to the storage room flew open. Behind it was the lead singer of Ruby Dragon, Prado Wraverly. He pointed an accusatory finger at Seifer, who just stared with a quirked eyebrow.

"Look man, you didn't say nothin' about my ex bein' here!" he exclaimed. He took menacing steps toward Seifer, his jaw clenched tightly and his fist curled into a tight ball at his side. Behind him, Seifer heard Selphie gasp and squeak- the forerunner to another hyperventilating episode.

Stuck between the two, Seifer explained to Prado, "I didn't know she was coming. Some jerk booked them at the same time I booked you."

"Ohmigod!" Selphie exclaimed.

Seifer placed a hand over his eyes and groaned, "Here it comes..."

"Pleasedon'tblamehimitwasallmyfaultthisisabigmesshedidn'tknowPersephonewasbookedpleasepleasepleasedon'tleaveyourfansaredyingtoseeyouit'sallanyone'sbeentalkingaboutandthiswillallbeabigfailureifyoudon'tgoonstageandIcouldn'tbeartoseethat--"

Prado just blinked as Selphie went on at a speed too quick for him to process. She wrung her hands nervously in front of her and gazed at him with enormous, pleading eyes. Seifer glanced at Prado, and shrugged.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, little bit," Prado said, holding up a hand. "We're gonna perform and all!"

Hearing this, Selphie stopped talking abruptly. Her eyes widened further, and then she took another deep breath before exclaiming, "Ohhhh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" She made a move to glomp the lead singer, but he narrowly dodged her. Shooting Seifer a look of horror, Prado darted out the door and into the backstage area. Selphie made an oblivious attempt to follow, but Seifer grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him.

She stared up and smiled. "Everything is perfect?"

He nodded at her and repeated, "Everything is perfect."

In Seifer's arms, the sound of Persephone's hit song floating in from the Quad, Selphie had to think that maybe everything really was.

©

SELPHIE STARED AT THE STAGE in quiet disbelief. Confetti from the exploding cactaurs was still floating the ground, and huge lights were swarming all over the tightly packed Quad. Coming from the stage, the combined sounds of Persephone and Ruby Dragon reverberated through the area and seemingly shook the walls.

"Are Janie Pacer and Prado Wraverly making out on stage?" she asked thoughtfully, head tilted slightly to the side.

Beside her, Seifer just chuckled in response. Then he leaned over slightly and, with a crooked grin, asked quietly, "Is it giving you any ideas?"

She turned to him with a sheepish smile and studied her hands. Brokenly, she started, "I... Thank you, for... for keeping from, ya know, freaking out back there. You were right. Everything's perfect. Tee-hee."

He urged her chin upward and smiled down at her.

"You owe me," he declared cockily.

She just bit her lip and stared up at him as he moved closer to her.

"You owe me..." he repeated softly. His eyes were sliding shut, and his hands were on her hips, and she was growing red all over the place, and her heart was pounding like it always did, and--

"Selphie?"

Pilot Shaden coughed into his hand and merely blinked dumbly at the couple.

"Fuckin' hell..." Seifer groaned, stepping away from Selphie and turning his back to Pilot. Selphie blushed a little and nervously ran a hand through her hair.

"What is it, Pilot?" she asked, fidgeting a bit with the pockets of her jumper.

"Nothing... Nothing, Selphie, I just..." his voice trailed off as he watched Seifer pace a few steps away. Then he returned his gaze to Selphie and continued, "I just wanted to congratulate you. You did a great job."

"Gee, thanks, Pilot!" she replied. Then, she added, "You know I couldn't have done it without you. I appreciate-"

Surprisingly, Pilot interrupted her, "Yeah, yeah... anytime." And, his eyes lingering on Seifer's back, he turned to walk away, waving a hand dismissively.

She stared after him, wondering aloud, "What's eating him-?" The question faded into a yawn, and Selphie abruptly realized that she'd been awake for a long, long time. The stress from the past couple of weeks had finally worn her out.

"_We_ are," came Seifer's reply. He had moved behind her and slid his hands around her waist, hugging her from behind. Seductively, he whispered into her ear, "Let's get out of here."

"But we still have to-"

"It's done, Selphie. You did it. Now, you rest," he said insistently, pulling her backwards with him. "Let me walk you to your dorm."

"I-"

"You nothing. Come on," he said, kissing her neck in such a way that she really couldn't refuse.

They exited the Quad walking side by side, but the process was a long one. Nearly every person who happened to see the two of them felt it necessary to stop and congratulate Selphie.

"This is the best Garden Festival we've ever had!"

"Selphie – this is amazing!"

"How did you do it?"

"I would've sold my left ovary to see both these bands! I love you!"

When they finally made it out into the hallway, Selphie felt overwhelmed and more exhausted than before. She leaned on him for support.

"I never want to shake another hand again!" she exclaimed dramatically.

Lazily throwing an arm around her, Seifer snickered, "This, coming from the girl who glomps people for gummybears."

The crowd still at the Festival cheered so loudly that they heard it even when they reached her dorm. Glancing thoughtfully in the direction of the Quad, Selphie entered her passcode into the keypad beside her door, which slid open immediately. She started to turn to tell Seifer goodnight, but instead he encouraged her gently into the darkness of her single room. The door slid shut, and Selphie found herself in total darkness, a pair of lips gently brushing her brow.

"Selphie," he murmured quietly, kissing the spot just beneath her ear.

His hands covered her body, touched her in places that sent blood rushing to her cheeks and other areas. The backs of her knees collided with her bed, almost as a warning of what was about to happen. Seifer's lips were pressed to the side of her neck, a place she found particularly sensitive, and his hands were fiddling with the straps of her jumper. Even if Selphie _wanted_ to think, the work his mouth was performing on her neck made it all but impossible.She reached into his coat and fisted her hands in his shirt, pulling him closer to her.

Abruptly, Seifer stopped and held her at arms length. She couldn't see him, but the tone in his voice as he asked, "Are you sure you want this?" suggested that he was barely holding back.

Her heart stopped. _Did he really ask if I...? _And she said, "Yes," automatically and breathlessly, finally certain that _this_, that _Seifer_ and the feel of his hands as they explored her body, was the only thing she was sure she wanted at all.

©

THE NEXT MORNING, SELPHIE WOKE to the harsh sounds of rapid, impatient knocking on her door. The room was still dark, for her curtains had been pulled, but she felt around her bed before sliding off. Seifer stirred as she left him. After a few moments of groping blindly, Selphie found a shirt – probably Seifer's – and threw it over her slender figure.

"Who is it?" she asked in a sing-song voice.

"Ay, it's Zell! C'monnnn, answer the door, will ya!"

She heard Seifer groan. Quietly, she padded over to the door and moved to slide it open manually, half way so that she was partially concealed from her visitor.

Zell stood there.

Zell stood there, in front of a crowd of at least fourteen or fifteen anxious looking students she recognized from around Garden. Blushing furiously and shrinking more fully behind her door, Selphie stammered, "Wh-what's going on?"

"Look, Selphie, last night was the best--" Zell began eagerly.

"What the hell does Chickenwuss want now?" Seifer called crankily from the bed.

Selphie's blush deepened, as everyone standing outside her door seemed to lean in more closely, trying to get a look inside.

"Was that _Seifer?_" Zell exclaimed loudly. Whispers rose up from the crowd all around him. A couple of girls in the back giggled, but Selphie managed to maintain an ear-to-ear smile.

"Uhm, Zell, what're all you doing here?" she asked in a surprisngly even voice.

"Oh, uhm, right," Zell muttered. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, smiling sheepishly as he explained, "We, erm... we want to join the Garden Festival Committee. For next year."

She blinked. "All of you?"

"Yeah!" Zell exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. The rest of the crowd nodded enthusiastically.

Hearing this, Selphie completely forgot that Seifer was naked in her bed and that she was wearing his oversized shirt. The door slid open as she let it go and jumped up, squeaking excitedly and punching her fists alternately into the air. "This Garden Festival is gonna be the best everrrr!"

The crowd seemed to agree, as they all rose up in a cheer... and a second later, they all fell completely silent. Selphie stopped hopping up and down long enough to ask, "What's the matter?" They were all staring just over her head.

Seifer had rolled out of bed, and now stood behind her, wrapped only in a sheet.

Her eyes widened painfully. She spun on her heel and slid the door shut quickly, telling the people on the other side, "Next meeting is Monday at 6pm, in the Quad! Be there or be square!"

A lot of laughter came from outside of her dorm, but after a few moments, the sounds subsided and Selphie fell to the grounded, her back to her door. Seifer merely stared at her with a sexy, crooked grin.

"What are you _grinning_ like that for!" she exclaimed.

"Nothing, nothing," he said. "You should've seen your face, is all."

"Seifer! Everyone's going to be _talking_ about us!"

At this, he sniggered, dropping to his knees and crawling to sit beside her.

"And...?"

"And everyone will know! Hyne," she giggled.

He gently grabbed her by the chin. "What's wrong with that?"

She shook her head shortly and smiled warmly at him.

"Nothing... just..." And she started to giggle again.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The look on Zell's face!" she answered between laughs. "No one would have guessed!"

Seifer grinned at her and kissed her on the forehead, whispering, "That's half the fun..."

©

THE RUMORS FLOATING AROUND BALAMB Garden _infuriated_ Pilot, made him seethe with an anger he could taste in his mouth even after he'd emptied a bottle of liquor. The sight of Seifer, his hands all over Selphie, his lips pressed to hers, burned in the back of his mind. Everytime he thought of it, he felts his fists tighten violently.

This wasn't happening. He wouldn't let it.

She didn't belong with Seifer.

He had to do something.

©

Yay, review, please. And I really have no idea if I'll be updating this ever again or not.


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